Dc And Marvel Universe

[khumpleetist]

@revi

 

When SI finished it somehow sucked towards the end. Ang konsolasyon na lang eh marami ngang pwedeng gawin after the event. The art was somehow rushed in issue #8 but the overall art of the series was great. Congrats to Leinil Yu for his Wizard's Best Artis for 2008. Wizard is the mainstream mag for comicbooks so it's really a great achievement (hindi nagpahuli kay Pacquiao. Hehehe). Well, SI: Dark Reign is tagged as a bookend to SI so this is a worthy tie-in. I'll probably just get the Avengers title minus The Initiative and Young Avengers (if they'll have a title).

 

Magandang balita yang pagtaas ng value ng Kick-Ass #1! Meron din ako pero dahil hindi superhero genre at di ko feel nung di pa lumalabas eh 1 copy lang inorder ko. Pero kung naaalala ko pa eh hindi lahat ng nagpareserve eh nakakuha ng Kick-Ass #1. Tataas pa ito pag lumabas na yung movie.

[revi]

pakiscan na lang ang price guide. hehehhee. pls...

 

haha.. Just tell me what comic book you need to look at the price guide, bro.. Hindi din kumpleto ang Price Guide ng Wizard ha? Hindi kamukha nung mga Overstreet.. Laktaw laktaw siya..

 

Todate, ang hot comics na nasa Top 10 ay as follows:

 

#1 All-Star Batman and Robin #10 Recalled Variant (Potmouth).. $30

#2 Action Comics #869 Recalled Version.. $15

#3 Deadpool #1.. $4

#4 Secret Invasion #1.. $5

#5 Batman #676 RIP.. $7

#6 Uncanny X-Men #500 Turner Variant.. $30

#7 Amazing Spiderman #569 Adi Granov Variant (Venom's face).. $8

#8 Wolverine #66 Turner Variant.. $40

#9 Daredevil #111 Aja Variant.. $15

#10 War Heroes #1 Silvestri Variant.. $25

 

Was not able to get the recalled Action Comics #869.. But I do have this month's #1 Hot Comic.. Pati si khumpleetist meron din niyan.. haha.. The regular potmouth All Star Bats is valued at $20 already.. And the price could still escalate..

[revi]

Magandang balita yang pagtaas ng value ng Kick-Ass #1! Meron din ako pero dahil hindi superhero genre at di ko feel nung di pa lumalabas eh 1 copy lang inorder ko. Pero kung naaalala ko pa eh hindi lahat ng nagpareserve eh nakakuha ng Kick-Ass #1. Tataas pa ito pag lumabas na yung movie.

 

The reason why I have two Kick Ass #1's is that I was able to buy one in the bargain bin in Filbars Riverbanks.. :thumbsupsmiley: Nung nalaman kong gagawin itong film, naghanap na ako ng first issue nito, hindi ko akalain na sa "sale" ko pa ito makukuha.. Filbars Riverbanks is a goldmine.. haha.. Pure luck lang, bro!

 

The Hulk of Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuiness also has high prices.. The first issue is commanding $10, while the 2nd issue is commanding $8.. Kahit pangit ang reviews dito ng mga internet review sites, the first appearance of the Red Hulk can never be wrong, I guess..

 

The first 8 issues of the new Thor also have good pricing in the guide.. Nasa $8-10 ang issue #1 ng Thor, yung #2 nasa $5..

 

Final Crisis is not yet really picking up in the guide, while Secret Invasion and its variants are moving slowly but steadily.. Nasa $30 na SI #1 Variant ni McNiven..

 

Sa DC, ang pinaka-hot ay ang Batman RIP.. at yung All Star Batman #10 na Recalled editions..

 

Other new comics na medyo noteworthy ay ang X-Force at Deadpool.. Medyo tumaas din ang mga first issues nito..

 

Simmer down ang dating hot comics na Halo:Uprising and Umbrella Academy.. But I feel that Umbrella Academy has a lot of room to go up.. Kaso hindi ako nakakuha nito.. Pati na din ang Dark Tower series.. Again, these titles have all the room to go up in the guide..

 

Yung Locke and Key from IDW is also hot.. $20 na ang first issue nito.. Its just a shame na hindi ko din ito napa-reserve.. Na-over-look ko ito sa list ng Comic Odyssey..

 

The series Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash is also Hot.. The first issues are HOT, especially the covers of Ash and Jason.. Both are at $10, while the Freddy version commands $8..

Edited December 12, 2008 by revi

[revi]

The is the cover to the January Wizard..

 

With the recent developments in Batman's RIP, Superman's New Krypton, and the return of the many Flashes in Final Crisis.. (Bakit kaya wala sina Red Tornado, Black Lightning at Wonder Woman) DC will be revamping the old JLA to this next year.. Green Arrow, Batwoman, GL, The Atom (Ray Palmer), Congorilla, Supergirl and Captain Marvel/SHAZAM (Freddy Freeman).. The flying long-haired dude is Billy Batson who is now the Shazam Wizard..

 

Will definitely pick up this series's first storyarc.. I love the art of Mauro Cascioli (who also penned the last issues of Trials of Shazam - which I also loved).. Sana lang bigyan ng "love" dito si Freddy Freeman as the new Shazam.. Bitin kasi ako dun sa Trials of Shazam.. :thumbsupsmiley:

[revi]

I think mag-oorder me ng WIZARD OF OZ #1. I have a feeling na magandang yun and tataas ang sales. What do you think?

 

Maganda ang reviews nito sa ign.com.. And I felt Marvel really marketed this as compared to the other "reconditioned fairy tale" comicbooks that they did in the past.. I know you are into this forms of comics, bro, so I suggest you get it.. It has the potential to go up because of its reviews and its hype.. But I will pass on this coz I am not into "fairy tale" comicbooks eh.. (As khumpleetist knows, I am more into the horror genre.)

 

Ngayon, kung naging rare yung first issue nito baka mag-hunting din ako nito (hehe!), but I will not continue it..

[khumpleetist]

Bro, since madalas ka naman kumuha ng Wizard eh i-post mo na lang lage yung mga Top 10 sa issues na binibili mo. Hehehe. 3 yung comics ko na nasa list pero aasahan ko na bababa din yung value nung Batman #676 at Secret Invasion #1. Yung Action Comics #869 eh parang nabalitaan ko din nung nagkaroon ng potmouth nung All Star Batman and Robin #10 kung hindi ako nagkakamali at may isa pang comic na na-recall (bale 3 comics during that time kung tama ang hinala ko). Di ko naresearch mabuti kasi nag focus ako dun sa ASB&R. Sinuwerte ka na naman sa Kick-Ass #1 ah? Hanep!

 

I'll definitely pick-up this new Justice League book next year. Since nag-post ka ng Top Ten Commics ng latest issue ng Wizard eh i-popost ko na din dito yung latest review ng ign.com sa ilang Marvel at DC na lumabas this week (Dec 10, 2008) isisnama ko na din yung Wizard of Oz dahil napag-uusapan na rin lang.

[khumpleetist]

Action Comics #872 Review

Halloween comes two months late to Kandor.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 10, 2008 - I feel a weird sense of conflict when trying to reflect on this latest chapter of New Krypton. Technically, it's a very sound issue. Geoff Johns' writing is as strong as ever, and Pete Woods' art is solid, if not spectacular. It would be a perfectly sound issue if it were part 4 or 5 of the crossover. Instead, it's part 7, and that makes all the difference for me. The crossover is rapidly moving to its final, third act, and yet nowhere does this issue really leave me with that impression. That necessary sense of urgency is simply lacking.

 

The hardest part about reading Action Comics since the end of "Brainiac" is dealing with the loss of Gary Frank. With Frank gone, a great deal of the book's cinematic flair and sheer detail is lost. Pete Woods does a pretty

respectable job of rendering Johns' script, but it just isn't the same. Woods' tendency to zoom way out in his wide angle shots obscures the characters. At times I wasn't entirely sure which characters were speaking. Other than that, Woods does a decent job with the material.

 

The real strength of this issue lies in Johns' dialogue. By this point he has quite a cast of characters to work with, and the truth is that none quite receive the screen time they need. Johns still makes the best of a crowded

situation. I particularly loved his portrayal of the villains in this issue. On one front, Metallo and Reactron clash with the militant group of Kryptonians who have made it their mission to toss all of Superman's villains into the Phantom Zone. On another, Lex Luthor is mining Brainiac's mind for secrets. Johns writes a really excellent Luthor, a fact that was never fully apparent with Luthor's light presence in the series.

 

In terms of characterization, there are no missteps in this issue. The missteps all come from the odd choices in pacing. Superman #682, the last chapter of "New Krypton", was a significant step up for the crossover. It ratcheted up the story's pace, and it had me hoping that issue was a sign of better things to come. Unfortunately, the pace immediately slows down this week. The story almost demands that an immediate confrontation between Superman and the

murderous Kryptonians take place, yet Johns finds a way to dance around the conflict for the entire issue. And no, dredging up the Creature Commandos is not a satisfactory substitute. The last thing this crossover needed is more

random, ancillary characters ala Nightwing and Flamebird.

 

The simple fact that an issue like this is taking place so late into "New Krypton" leaves me seriously worried about the overall impact of the crossover. At this point Johns and his collaborators have precious little time to

accomplish what they set out to do. Forget matching the impact of "The Sinestro Corps War," at this point I'm just hoping for a crossover that doesn't fizzle out.

 

Final Score: 7.8

 

 

 

 

 

Detective Comics #851 Review

Legendary writer/editor Denny O'Neil returns to Gotham.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - It should tell you all you need to know about my love for the work of Dennis O'Neil that in a week that saw new issues of Final Crisis, Final Crisis: Revelations, Dark Reign and Secret Six all hit the stands, his return to Batman in Detective Comics #851 was the first book I tore into upon returning home from my comic shop.

 

I fell in love with comics reading the Batman books under O'Neil's editorial tenure, eagerly went back and discovered his classic work writing Batman in the seventies, went on to devour anything I could find with his name in the credits and, in general, came to cherish him as both a storyteller and a sheppard of all things Bat-related. All of that should also tell you a lot about just how much I expected from this issue, the first of his two-issue "Last Rites" follow-up to Batman RIP. All things considered, in the end, I don't know if I'd call it underwhelming as much as I'd say I was a bit disappointed by the first half of this story.

 

To be perfectly clear, one area in which this issue surely does not disappoint is in its high level of technical craft, which shouldn't come as a surprise to any fan of this legend's work. As is almost always the case with O'Neil's classic approach to storytelling, not a panel or word is wasted in telling this story, and the action flows seamlessly and organically even when it's jumping across different timelines. O'Neil employs voice-over narration, but never as a crutch, and each chunk of text conveys important exposition, character or atmosphere without us noticing. Artist Guillem March is likewise on top of his storytelling game, even if his style varies from vibrant and sleek to cartoonish more than I'd like. Sadly, the issue just isn't nearly as entertaining as it is well crafted.

 

That's not to say that it isn't interesting. O'Neil's high concept premise definitely has me hooked: following a traumatic experience caused by Gotham's catastrophic earthquake from several years back (which, if you remember,

occurred during O'Neil's tenure as Bat editor), a famous stage actress known as "the face of Gotham" becomes one with the city's general mood – a mysterious connection that the character is unable to explain. You would think such a premise would be a perfect vehicle for an exploration of a Gotham with Batman, but unfortunately, O'Neil never actually gets into probing this connection in depth, nor does he ever really use it to comment on the impact Batman's absence has had on the city. The majority of the issue is spent exploring the narrator's back story and her relationship to a two-bit thug named Gracchus, who harbors a grudge against the actress for a somewhat cloudy reason yet to be fully explained. Again, this is all rather interesting, but falls just short of ever truly entertaining.

 

As for the link to the recently concluded RIP, O'Neil fluidly includes shout-outs to a number of different stories currently taking place in the Bat-books, and he does it with the ease of a career editor who oversaw a number of different convoluted Bat crossovers in his time. What he doesn't do is clue us in on why all this matters to Millicent Mayne's predicament, and we're left wondering whether or not the veteran scribe might be using this RIP post-mortem to tell one last Batman story that's been lingering in his imagination. Seeing as I have full faith in O'Neil, I don't think this will be the case, and I fully expect the second issue to deliver more in terms of exploring the idea of a Gotham without Batman. As it stands now, though, all we really have is a relatively compelling story starring a mysterious new character, Nightwing and Two-Face.

 

 

Final Score: 7.5

 

 

 

 

 

Final Crisis #5 Review

The heroes of the DCU strike back against the dark gods.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - Final Crisis #5 opens after Darkseid has just fallen to Earth and solidified his grasp on our world, with the DCU's heroes poised to make their first organized counterattack against the evil God's forces. The

issue is without a doubt a pivotal turning point in Grant Morrison's series, and not just in terms of story, either. After four issues of mostly set-up, the issue is tasked with not only kicking Final Crisis' overall story into a higher gear, but it's also, in a lot of ways, charged with convincing fans that all the hoopla, hype and build-up leading into this series has indeed been worth it. In both those regards, I'd call the issue an overwhelming success. Although I was already riveted to the story Grant Morrison had been telling up until this point, Final Crisis #5 sucked me further into the series' spell, and provided a heck of an entertaining read along the way. That said, the issue definitely has some significant flaws.

 

For starters, it's worth pointing out that Morrison's decision to jump jarringly from one plot thread to another in telling this story has more or less made it a requirement for readers to reread previous issues before picking up a new installment. A failure to do so will most likely lead one to miss a few of the beats that play out over the course of this issue's narrative, especially considering the amount of time that's passed since the last issue hit. I know I missed a few beats during my first read through of the issue, but was able to get a firmer grasp on what was going on after going back and flipping through the first four issues of the series before giving the book a second read.

 

Depending on your tastes, this density of story and Morrison's staccato way of telling it are either Final Crisis' greatest strength or most annoying weakness. I for one enjoyed rereading the past issues, and found the greater

experience of Final Crisis enhanced as a result – even if I can empathize with those who would rather Morrison push his plot threads alongside one another in a more conventional fashion rather than abandon entire threads for one or more issues at a clip. Again, in my book, this storytelling technique is one of the things I enjoy most about Final Crisis, and I believe it's been Morrison's most effective way of subverting what we expect out of one of these big event stories. By dragging us from one scene to the next without warning, I think Morrison is able to quite powerfully establish both a sense of scope to this epic and a feeling of uncertainty and dread.

 

Rereading this entire series in one sitting also enabled me to notice the series' most obvious flaw: the quality of the art has slipped considerably, worsening with each issue. Surprisingly, this has little to do with Carlos

Pacheco coming on board with issue #4, and is due largely to JG Jones' work looking remarkably less polished with each installment. When you contrast Jones' breathtakingly bold work in issue #1 with his rather bland visuals here,

the difference is rather stunning, and it's tough not to assume that deadlines have gotten the better (or worse, in this case) of Jones' work. For the most part, though, I think he and Pacheco work well and rather fluidly together,

with one significant exception: Pacheco's pages all have white panel borders, and Jones' all have black panel borders. This problem could in fact be nullified, and the art made to read far more seamlessly, if DC's production

team just went ahead and colored Pacheco's borders black. That they haven't yet done so is honestly a bit baffling.

 

As far as the plot is concerned, like I pointed out earlier in my introduction, there are a number of pivotal turning points in this issue, and a number of threads converge in meaningful ways. The trial of Hal Jordon by the Alpha Lanterns comes to a boiling point, the heroes launch their assault on Bludhaven, the Japanese teen superheroes arrive at Checkmate and, in general, a lot of crap hits the fan. Most importantly, Morrison delivers a number of

wonderfully weird moments (Tawky Tawny vs. the new Tiger-ific Kalibak), dramatic payoffs (Mary Marvel vs. the Marvel family) and hilariously quirky dialogue ("Motherboxx is more than a machine. If Gods made I-Pods that were alive? Way beyond that.").

 

If I had to pinpoint the biggest problem with this issue's story, it's that the plot seems to have little to do with the tie-ins we've seen to this point, most notably with the events seen in Resist. The way that one-shot played out made it feel like it was a major development in Final Crisis' unfolding narrative, but characters seen grasping at straws in that issue are seen here going about their business as if nothing happened between Final Crisis #4 and this issue. There very well might be an explanation for this, but the discrepancy definitely pulled me out of the story for a few moments, and that's never a good thing. All in all, though, I'd say Final Crisis is still an incredibly strange and surprising take on the big event story, and as a result, remains one of the most entertaining examples of such a tale I can remember reading.

 

 

Dan's Score: NA

 

 

 

 

 

Another Take by Jesse Schedeen

 

Dan's certainly right about one thing. Final Crisis #5 is a major watershed

moment for the series. This is where many of Morrison's plot threads begin to come to a head. It's where the build-up to Darkseid's return should theoretically stop building and start paying off in a big way. It's also the

issue where a lot of the book's more esoteric elements should start making some sense. I know, many of you have come to believe that's too much to ask of Grant Morrison, and I understand your pain. In some ways issue #5 makes good on these storytelling necessities. That doesn't keep it from becoming what I'd consider to be the weakest issue so far.

 

Granted, much of my displeasure stems from the art. DC's decision to bring in Carlos Pacheco has not paid off in the way I had hoped. There continues to be a glaring difference in the appearance of Pacheco's pages and J.G. Jones'. Jones' panels are more thoughtfully laid out and carry a more cinematic tone. The Pacheco I've grown to love over the years is certainly capable of that level of artistry, so I'm left to assume time has become the dominant factor here. And as Dan mentioned, even Jones is far from being in top form this month. His pencils are rougher and more sketchy than the previous four issues. Final Crisis is increasingly becoming about getting things done now, not getting them done right, and that's a shame. I know DC has a lot riding on this book, but I'm at the point where I'd rather they move ahead with the rest of the DCU line and just let Final Crisis gestate as it will. History would be much kinder to it in the end.

 

If Morrison's script has a downside this month, it's that surprisingly little plot progression actually takes place. There's plenty of fighting to be had, but if I wanted a major event comic to feature nonstop fighting I would have

given Secret Invasion a better review last week. Only two or three truly major developments take place in these pages. I can honestly say I expected the series to have moved further down the path by this point. It seems like a hallmark of all event comics these days that I reach a disappointing epiphany sooner or later and realize the scope of the story is less ambitious than I expected. It happened with World War Hulk, it happened with Secret Invasion,

and it's happening now with Final Crisis. Though, that being as it may, I'd say

Crisis is still leagues above the other two in scope and execution.

 

Case in point, this issue is home to a number of truly classic moments that will make any hardcore DC grin. There's the aforementioned "Walking, Talking Tiger Fight" between Tawny and Kalibak. There's the war of the Marvel family, the march of the Green Lanterns, and, perhaps most notably, Darkseid's grand entrance onto stage left. I love Morrison's depiction of Darkseid. Much more than a really strong, evil supervillain, Darkseid is a true god whose black heart creates a scorch mark on every page. That impending sense of doom that's become increasingly palpable over each issue? You'll really feel it this time.

 

 

And yes, things do begin to make more sense this month. Elements like the wayward young Monitor and the mysterious line drawings begin to solidify. In a lot of ways issue #5 is the most "accessible" in the sense that it answers more questions than it raises for once. Still, don't think you're getting off easy.

 

I've often heard that a good writer should know how to enter a scene late and leave a scene early. Morrison employs this technique to an extreme, which is a major reason why some readers are finding his recent work so impenetrable. At this point, though, he seems to be doing it more out of necessity than personal preference. This book has ballooned to a cast of dozens and dozens. Only by spending the bare minimum of time with each character is he able to fit in all the pieces. This unfortunately leads to the problems I find with this issue. The plot doesn't progress enough because Morrison has far too much material for such a modest page count. This is why so many of the tie-ins are superior to the main series. Writers like Geoff Johns and Greg Rucka are able to focus on the

characters and conflicts more intimately. If Morrison isn't careful, these last few months could play out like a repeat of Secret Invasion, with the rampant fighting dominating the main book and the good stuff happening elsewhere. I don't think Morrison is going to fall into that trap, but the fact that I can

make the comparison at all is a bit worrisome.

 

 

Jesse's Score: 7.6

Final Score: 8.6

 

 

 

 

 

Final Crisis: Revelations #4 Review

Revelations' penultimate issue asks even loftier questions.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - Since Final Crisis: Revelations debuted several months back, some fans have been making the case that this tie-in mini-series has actually been superior to the main Final Crisis book. And even though I don't

necessarily agree, I definitely see where they're coming from. While Grant Morrison has been busy shooting for the weird, upending what it is fans expect out of an event in his main series, Greg Rucka has been providing a fascinating and powerful read in its own right. Revelations asks engaging questions about good and evil, and does so in a straightforward and accessible manner that never undermines the complexity of the religious and moral themes that underline the series.

 

What I find most extraordinary about Revelations, though, is just how much the series has been able to accomplish to this point. After all, we're talking about a series that continues the character arcs of Rene Montoya and Crispus

Allen as well as the overarching story of the Crime Bible, delivers a thoughtful exploration of the religious consequences of Final Crisis, and fleshes out the dire nature of an Earth that has fallen to Darskeid's reign. The penultimate issue of Rucka and Philip Tan's miniseries continues to deliver in all those areas in quite fascinating and entertaining ways, and Revelations remains a most enjoyable compliment to the greater Final Crisis event. And for those very reasons, the series deserves every bit of praise fans and critics alike have heaped on it.

 

The central questions posed by Rucka in Revelations are definitely powerful ones: what does evil's apparent victory in Final Crisis say about God, and what does it mean for the Spectre and the Radiant? Those two topics reach critical mass in this installment, and I have to say that Rucka does more in this one issue to drive home the notion that evil has won than either Morrison or any of the other tie-ins have managed in a single issue. Rucka also suggests the consequences of such a development, which are as terrifying as you'd imagine. With the rise of Cain and the developments involving the Spectre seen here, the DCU is a rather bleak place right now, and Rucka and Tan capture that fact brilliantly.

 

I have to say, one awkward component of this issue came with the sudden and unexplained arrival of Huntress into the mix (and I don't think I'm spoiling anything by mentioning that she shows up, considering the issue's cover). In

essence, Huntress shows up out of nowhere at the perfect time, and there's little to explain her involvement here other than she has a history with the Question (albeit the previous version of the character), she's Catholic, and

that Rucka enjoys writing her. This wouldn't be much of a problem at all had Rucka made an effort to explain where she came from or how she remains unaffected by the anti-life equation, but he doesn't really do either. It's a

minor quibble, but it's still a problem.

 

Another slight problem is the art of Philip Tan, which is a bit inconsistent throughout the book. Tan's art wavers from extremely detailed in one panel to extremely rough the next, and even though the rough approach often highlights the horrific nature of the scene, the discrepancy between the two styles results in an uneven look overall. Still, I have to say that I've mostly enjoyed Tan's art throughout this series, and his contributions remain more of a plus than a minus to Rucka's story.

 

With Revelations drawing to a close next issue, I'm eager to see how this epic confrontation ends, and what it will mean to Morrison's main story. Greg Rucka has asked some fascinating questions in this series, and I can't wait to hear the answers.

 

 

Final Score: 8.7

 

 

 

 

 

Green Arrow/Black Canary #15 Review

A new creative team steps on board - will the series rebound?

by Daniel Crown

December 10, 2008 - A large number of Green Arrow fans have had the date of December 10th marked on their calendar for months now, emblematically representing a much ballyhooed swapping of the guard. After five years, it was time for a change. And while the results aren't perfect, Andrew Kreisberg's Green Arrow does remain restorative in that the book shies away from gimmicks. More importantly it absconds from a previously mercurial existence, which had steeped the title in a perpetually swaggering tonality.

 

First and foremost, Kreisberg's script succeeds by casting a predominance of the attention back to where it belongs, that being the bond between Ollie and Dinah. The crux of Kreisberg's narrative derives from Ollie's want for his family's safety, a sentiment that is at constant odds with their profession, creating an interesting and at times touching battle with incongruous feelings. When Green Arrow was rebooted into its current state, this is the sort of direction that was promised yet never delivered, so it's refreshing to see Kreisberg redirect the story to where it can benefit from the basic strengths of the franchise.

 

Also of note, the story takes a step towards canonizing Andy Diggle and Jock's phenomenal Green Arrow Year One, hands down the best Green Arrow story since Meltzer's short run ended with "Archer's Quest". If this is a new direction for Oliver Queen, then Diggle's epic stands as its cornerstone, which comes as both fitting and welcomed for fans of the Emerald Archer.

 

And speaking of welcome revelations, it's good to see that Mike Norton is staying on board, at least for the near future. Norton is a fine storyteller, mostly in virtue of his fairly straightforward designs, which never distract from the story at hand. Following Cliff Chiang is never an easy task, but Norton's transition has been mostly seamless.

 

Not to say that the Kreisberg's story is flawless - there are a few isolated instances of trite banter, particularly in the inciting scenes that provide the framework for Ollie's overarching introspection - but for the most part this book serves as a strong foundation for future endeavors, and at the very least, provides a nice reminder of the qualities that make the relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary one of the most interesting in the industry.

 

 

Final Score: 7.5

 

 

 

 

 

Green Lantern Corps #31 Review

The rise of the Zamarons continues.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - A perfect storm has been gathering around the Guardians of the Universe in the pages of Peter Tomasi's Green Lantern Corps, and it doesn't look like it'll end very well for our little blue men with big heads – or for the Green Lanterns, for that matter. The Zamarons, with their purple, love-based powers, are amassing an army in their corner of the DC Universe, a development that seems destined to push the cosmos closer to the War of Light.

In addition, a particularly twisted survivor of the Sinestro Corps is murdering the loved ones and relatives of the Green Lanterns, causing uproar throughout the ranks of the corps.

 

With this being the case, it wasn't all too surprising to see the Guardians enact the Third Law of the Book of Oa – a ban on physical relationships and love between GLs – in the final pages of last issue. However, that doesn't mean

it didn't make for fascinating theatre. Green Lantern Corps is currently in a more compelling place than it's ever been, which is saying a lot, considering how fantastic this series has been since the onset of the Sinestro Corp War.

 

Green Lantern Corps is currently one of the strongest supporting titles in superhero comics for mainly two reasons: 1) it plays a pivotal role in advancing and complementing the plot of Geoff Johns' main Green Lantern title; and 2) it's a showcase for the weirdest, most wonderfully bizarre science fiction concepts Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason can conjure up. Those two strengths are once again on full display in this issue, which is another very fulfilling and entertaining installment of this high quality series. Not only does Tomasi's plot in this issue push the Green Lantern franchise ever closer to the inevitable events of Blackest Night, but it also provides ample

opportunity for Gleason to turn the weirdness level "up to eleven," so to speak.

 

Gleason doesn't disappoint, either, delivering entirely strange images that inspire awe as much as they terrify. This is a comic that sees a Sinestro Corp member morph in horrific and disgusting ways, shoot blood and gook all over a group of GL members and then terrorize a pregnant GLer. Did I mention the issue also includes a giant green manifestation of a newborn baby – umbilical cord and all – stomping the daylights out of a Sinestro Corp member? Disturbing stuff, to say the least. The Green Lantern Corps titles have long been marked by such trademark weirdness, and it's good to see Tomasi and Gleason live up to such a rich tradition.

 

With the main Green Lantern title on an unfortunate hiatus due to some delays in the "Red Lantern" arc, Green Lantern Corps has been left to do much of the heavy lifting in terms of maintaining the excitement surrounding the franchise. Thankfully for GL fans everywhere, the book and its creators seem more than up to the task.

 

 

Final Score: 8.5

 

 

 

 

 

Justice League of America #27 Review

The Milestone characters make their DCU debut.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - The very first thing that occurred to me upon picking up the latest issue of Justice League of America was that it'd be very easy for someone to hear that the issue features Milestone characters, take one look at the "Sightings" logo emblazed on its cover, and immediately assume that Dwayne McDuffie's run on the title, which has only recently enjoyed anything close to the creative freedom it deserves, is once again being inexplicably derailed by a needless crossover. Thankfully, judging from this first issue, that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

For those unaware, as one of the founders and lead writers of DC's former Milestone imprint, McDuffie was the mastermind and keeper of many of the characters he reintroduces in this issue, and thus cares for them deeply and

has a rooted interest in seamlessly folding them into the DCU tapestry. As a result, McDuffie doesn't force them onto the JLA status quo by any means, and goes to great lengths to make sure he continues to hit the story beats he's set into motion in recent JLA comics. For a comic that suddenly throws outside characters into the mix without much of an explanation or warning, it actually reads rather organically in relation to recent issues.

 

Although the plot begins by having Milestone supergroup the Shadow Cabinet confront former Justice Leaguer Dr. Light (the female version), it then goes on to weave in and out of a number of this book's relevant plot threads, including Red Arrow and Hawgirl's budding romance, Vixen's recently restored powers, and Black Canaray's struggle to establish her authority over the Big Three. Incorporating these scenes into this issue was a very crafty move on McDuffie's part, as he made the issue a rewarding read for this series' longtime readers while also subtly sliding his beloved creations under their radar. In doing so, I imagine he'll have a much easier time getting fans to accept the Milestone players with open arms.

 

And when it comes to actually getting around to reintroducing these Milestone heroes, I think McDuffie did a wonderful job capturing each character's individual personality clearly and succinctly. Even though I remember reading a few Milestone comics as a kid, I'm not all too familiar with the majority of these characters, and McDuffie's deft and confident characterization of each hero went a long way towards making me care about them right off the bat. McDuffie's trademark wit and humorous dialogue were great assets when it came to this, and his work with the Blitzen character in particular immediately made me want to read more comics featuring this character.

 

On art, Ed Benes is his usual self, although a number of inkers (four, by the credits' count) means his predictable and – to be honest – stale style of figurework is sometimes harder to look at than usual. I'm quickly growing tired

of Benes on this book, and can definitely say that seeing four inkers with very different styles work over his pencils didn't help ease my growing distaste for his art.

 

But my wariness with Benes is hardly the main point I'm trying to make with this review. What's important is that McDuffie's voice is finally coming through mostly unfiltered and uninhibited in this book, and the reintroduction of the Milestone characters only looks like it'll help matters.

 

 

Final Score: 8.0

 

 

 

 

 

Nightwing #151 Review

Nightwing's "Last Rites" tie-in closes the book on a number of plot threads.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - After reading Nightwing #151, I immediately logged onto DC's website to check if this was in fact the last issue in this series, because that would be the only plausible explanation for what transpired in

these pages. Writer Peter Tomasi moves from closing the book on one past story thread to the next, and never bothers to provide a transition between each of the epilogue scenes. I'm willing to bet I wasn't the only one to assume this

was the final issue. The fact that it's not – there are two more issues after this – makes this comic even more baffling and inexplicable. It's not bad by any means. There's just no way to look at it as anything close to a complete, coherent issue's worth of story; it's far more in tune with a sequence of deleted scenes from Tomasi's run on the title.

 

And it's a shame Tomasi couldn't come up with a coherent way to link these scenes, because the majority of them are quite good. Most of them close the book on a specific chapter of Dick's recent life very effectively. The issue

begins with the least effective sequence, a coda of sorts to the recent RIP tie-in that very awkwardly introduces a twist that should have been revealed in the pages of that story. From there, Tomasi moves to a conversation between Dick and the incarcerated Two-Face, which is by far the most effective and entertaining sequence in the issue. It's here that Tomasi adds important new insight into the Two-Face/Dick Grayson dynamic, revealing how Dick is decidedly

less sympathetic to ol' Harvey than his mentor tends to be. I found myself laughing out loud at some of Two-Face's nasty and unapologetically villainous lines in this scene, and was reminded that Tomasi's penchant for punchy

dialogue and strong characterization are his greatest strengths as a writer. The effectiveness of this scene is also due in no small part to guest-penciller Doug Mahnke, who draws the first nine pages of the book, and in doing so,

elevates them far above the last thirteen.

 

Next up is a rather forgettable scene in which Dick says goodbye to one of his recent flames, a blonde that I had a difficult time identifying or caring about. Between Marv Wolfman's run and Tomasi's current stay on the title, it

seems like Dick has had about fifty different recent love interests, and none of them made enough of an impression on me that I'd actually care about such a farewell scene.

 

After that comes a quick epilogue to the Dr. Kendall/Talia Al Ghul arc in which Dick and the JLA secure the corpses of deceased metahumans so that they can never again be tampered with, and again, I was left wondering why we didn't see this scene in the pages of that story as well. From there it's onto a scene that sees Dick take his new skydiving hobby to startling new heights, breaking three world records in the process. Finally, we get a mostly quiet three-page sequence of Alfred, Tim and Dick going about a normal evening in Wayne Manor without Bruce around, and I assume that the included quote from the film Seven Samurai is supposed to deliver the emotional weight here. It doesn't. Artist Shawm Moll likewise fails to deliver much of the emotional punch any of these scenes were no doubt meant to pack.

 

If you don't have a problem watching a writer and two different artists deliver unconnected snapshots of disparate threads from said writer's run, than you might not have as many problems as I had with this issue. There are certainly a couple of good scenes here, and the Two-Face/Dick confrontation in particular is extremely well executed. I just prefer my comics to make a better effort to deliver a unified narrative.

 

 

Final Score: 7.0

 

 

 

 

 

Secret Six #4 Review

Another hilarious romp starring the coolest misfits in comics.

by Dan Phillips

December 10, 2008 - The latest issue of Secret Six finds the team of lovable rogues in possession of a magical "Get Out of Hell Free Card," crammed into an ice-cream truck bound for Vegas, in the sights of a bloodthirsty, flesh-eating monster and with a horde of hired villains hot on their trail. In the hands of a lesser writer than Gail Simone, it's the type of issue where the general concept pitch could have been more entertaining than the issue itself. That, of course, isn't the case with this fantastic issue, which fans of this team and series shouldn't be surprised to hear. Because as much as Simone's Secret Six work has been known to include humorous and very inventive high concept set-ups, it's always really been defined by its trademark brand of snappy dialogue and hilarious situational comedy. When it comes down to it, it's Simone's brilliant execution of these inventive comedic set-ups that makes this issue so utterly enjoyable, and this series the one title I look forward to more than any other book currently being published.

 

If you're not reading this series – shame on you. We reviewers tend to say that a bit too often when it comes to praising lesser selling books that we love, but I mean it when I talk about Secret Six. I just can't imagine any fan of superhero comics reading this series and not thinking its one of, if not the funniest and most entertaining comics on the stands. On the surface, Secret Six is a high-octane action comic of the highest order. At its heart, it's the comic book equivalent of a grade-A television sitcom starring five (for the time being at least) of the most wonderfully dysfunctional degenerate villains in all of comics. Simone was born to write a comic like Secret Six, and it's no surprise she's currently doing the best work of her career in these pages.

 

As was the case with the preceding three issues, there's so much to love in these twenty-two pages. Simone gets a lot of dramatic mileage out of the group's reaction to the "Get Out of Hell Free Card" and its implications,

squeezes the expected dose of hilarious comedy out of the group's chemistry and gets even more sick and twisted laughs from the Junior character, who's surely one of the best new villains to come along in quite some time. Watching the disfigured, ravenous and very evil Junior interact with a Catholic priest is by far the high point of the issue, and that statement pretty much sums up everything you need to know about Secret Six in a nutshell. This book is one giant serving of wicked fun, and it's impossible to read it without a smile on your face. That said, Simone knows when to tear right at the heart with a serious dramatic scene, which she does early and often in this issue.

 

In Nicola Scott, Simone has found her perfect creative co-conspirator - an artist capable of not only capturing the wide range of emotions called for in her versatile scripts, but heightening them as well. I knew from her time

working with Simone on Birds of Prey that Scott could draw pretty pictures with the best of them and was adept at dynamic action scenes, but her ability to drive home the subtly and timing of the comedy in this young title has been particularly impressive. Secret Six is truly Scott's book as much as it is Simone's. It's no coincidence one of the best titles on the stands also features one of the best creative collaborations in comics.

 

For the forth time (and almost certainly not the last): you need to read this book.

 

 

Final Score: 9.2

 

 

 

 

 

Trinity #28 Review

Alfred and friends attempt to resurrect the Trinity.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 10, 2008 - You know, if I were to be selected by any of the DCU's Lantern Corps, it would probably be the Red Lanterns. Why, you ask? Well, I have some experience with uncontrollable rage. I even know what it feels like

to spew all the fluids out of my body in one massive heave. All this is a byproduct of reading Trinity for extended periods of time.

 

If only Red Lanterns had something to do with this series. Instead, the book remains mired in many of the more boring aspects of the DCU, aspects which are growing progressively more boring the longer this alternate reality persists. I had a bit of hope for this issue, actually. It started out strongly enough by focusing on Alfred and his eclectic band. As I've mentioned in previous weeks, these few are becoming one of the only rays of light in the whole series. Unfortunately, it isn't that long before Kurt Busiek chooses to shift away and drag more seemingly pointless nonsense into the fray. At this point it's pretty obvious where the book is leading, and the longer it takes for Busiek to bring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman back into the fold, the more disinterested I become. I remember a point long ago where it actually seemed novel to write them out of the series. Now their absence is just one more strike against a series that lands annoyingly few hits.

 

The art has little to offer this week either. Slowly but surely, I think the rapid-fire schedule is taking its toll on Mark Bagley. His art hasn't enjoyed much in the way of shining moments in the last month. And Tom Derenick's

pencils are mostly wasted on a backup story that, despite a nonstop slate of action, manages to completely bore. This alternate reality shtick needs to end, and soon.

 

I wish this book made me feel like a Blue Lantern rather than a Red one. I wish I could actually feel hope for its future. And I wish I didn't have to resort to increasingly goofy analogies just to keep myself amused while writing these reviews. But I can't say any of these things are going to be happening. Barely halfway into this book, I'm almost completely burnt out on Trinity.

 

 

Final Score: 4.8

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #580 Review

Roger Stern steps in for a one-shot to introduce the Blank.

by Bryan Joel

December 10, 2008 - For most hardcore comic fans, Roger Stern is looked upon fondly for his landmark runs on Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers in the '80s. For older casual fans, he's basically known as the creator of Hobgoblin and the West Coast Avengers. But regardless of where you fall on that spectrum (if at all), Stern's grand reunion with Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #580 delivers some solid old-school action that would quite easily fit into his run two decades ago.

 

Everything about this issue smacks of days gone by. Where to begin? There's the kitschy West Coast Avengers villain. There's the hazy flashback of the day said villain nabbed the strange sci-fi tech he relies on for powers. There's Peter idly recapping his origin as he swings over the streets of New York. There's the return of a character who brushed against Spider-Man tangentially in Fantastic Four #207. Even Lee Weeks turns in his best Sal Buscema impression. Amazing #580 is so gleefully not-of-2008 that it seems anachronistic when characters bring up YouTube or Google. I wouldn't think twice if it had been published as a "lost" issue from Stern's original run.

 

The other side of that coin is, of course, the nagging voice in the back of my mind that asks why this matters. It's a nice story and all, but sandwiched between the craziness of "New Ways To Die" and the explanation of Harry Osborn's return from the dead next month, I feel that Stern's fun little jaunt through the past has been little more than a diversion between more relevant stories. Still, I suspect a large number of Spider-Man fans (particularly ones who abhor "BND") don't care one way or the other, and will still be able to enjoy issue #580 for what it is.

 

I can foresee two schools of thought emerging when it comes to Amazing #580: one that sees it as the very reason "One More Day" was green-lit, and another that consider this kind of story better relegated to the Essential collections, far away from a core title that's supposed to be relevant to the character. I'm somewhere in between personally, but the old-school appeal of Roger Stern's story is undeniable. The book is charming in its own way, and many old fans will find a lot to like about it.

 

 

Final Score: 7.5

 

 

 

 

 

Astonishing X-Men: Ghost Boxes #2 Review

The real stakes of the Ghost Box and Subject X are revealed.

by Daniel Crown

December 10, 2008 - Putting aside any residual complaints about the necessity of two sidebars for a headlining story which itself has stalled under delays, the second installment of Ghost Boxes is admittedly entertaining if you can get past its relative inconsequence. For the record I'm adamantly opposed to the book's hefty price tag. I also can't shake the feeling that this book, from its conception, has been nothing but an exploitative way to boost revenues during a lingering hiatus. But keeping that in mind, Ghost Boxes #2 is a nominal improvement over its predecessor, mostly due to a compelling second chapter, beautifully rendered by Kaare Andrews.

 

I won't spend too much time on the first chapter of Ghost Boxes #2, which in essence is nothing more than another take on Scott Summers' self-esteem issues. Summers' conflicting feelings about being a leader have been a staple for X-Men scribes for decades now, making the story immediately forgettable and mostly unnecessary.

 

Yet the second chapter, an X-Men variant of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road", is surprisingly compelling. Warren Ellis' quick hitting story does all of the things short stories need to do, casting its divergent world expediently in

order to properly set the stakes for a rather disturbing climax.

 

I've heard the argument that Ghost Boxes should be looked at as a way for Marvel to make money off of an audition of sorts for aspiring or up and coming artists. If this is true, then Kaare Andrews makes good use of the opportunity. His artwork here easily trumps his work on Spider-Man Reign, casting the artist as one of the best in the business at drawing desolate future landscapes. The story readily transitions between wide-angle shots of black birds hovering over hardened clay and extreme close-ups of Ellis' leading characters, creating an extremely cinematic experience, which in a fair world would garner Andrews a few offers for more consequential gigs.

 

Again, Ghost Boxes may be unnecessary. It might also be exploitative (who really needs scripts for a throwaway book like this? And even if you want them, it certainly doesn't warrant an extra dollar being tagged on to the price). But at least this installment is mostly digestible. All things considered, this could have been much, much worse.

 

 

Final Score: 6.5

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Britain and the MI: 13 #8 Review

Pete Wisdom attempts to save the Black Knight - but at what cost?

by Bryan Joel

December 10, 2008 - I don't think Captain Britain gets the kind of respect it deserves. Paul Cornell develops a gloriously chaotic book each month that's full of over-the-top concepts and spectacular characterization. At times in issue #8 Cornell's penchant for the insane gets the better of him, but for the most part it's another hit of the crazy that I've become addicted to.

 

Cap Britain #8 can easily be summed up with, "more Plokta insanity." But it's so much more. Yes, the villain wreaks havoc on Wisdom and his teammates, but that's just a backdrop to the character development in this issue. Captain Britain himself gets a nice moment attempting to escape from Plokta's clutches. Jac and Blade's dynamic is quickly becoming my favorite in the entire series. And the twist with Captain Midlands at the end is as logical and moving as it is bombastic and unexpected. There are some great things going on in this storyline. Leonard Kirk deserves a lot of the credit for the title's success, keeping things very clean and fresh, even when things get particularly crazy.

 

There are parts, however, that veer into incomprehensible. I know there's some business going on with the Mindless Ones and their dimension, but I couldn't tell you what it is. It's all a bit garbled, and that's why this issue doesn't work quite as well as others have. Still, the main draw to Captain Britain is its off-kilter cast, and they certainly outshine the minor flaws of this issue.

 

 

Final Score: 8.2

 

 

 

 

Punisher: War Zone #1 Review

Ma Gnucci is back... but not for long if Frank Castle has anything to say about it.

by Daniel Crown

December 10, 2008 - At this point, you pretty much know what you're going to get from a Garth Ennis comic: a strongly violent pretense and a debauched sense of humor. For better or worse these attributes seem to form the praxis of his methodology; a system that generates varying results, usually contingent upon the strength of his given premise. When his stories are weak, the excess in violence feels frivolous. Yet when he is on his game, like he is here, Ennis' penchant for the disgusting becomes disturbingly endearing.

 

Perplexingly, the lewdness of Ennis' approach seems to work best when coupled with humor. And this bodes for Punisher War Zone, as its most grotesque scenes fall just short of hilarious. Even more important, despite their general absurdity, these episodes somehow manage to accentuate character development. Only Garth Ennis could incite a mafia-driven yarn on the virtue of a belligerent monkey with a predilection for mutilating genitals.

 

As I set out to write this review I made a promise to myself that I would avoid any Preacher references, but as it turns out, Steve Dillon's pencils make this mostly impossible. There are more than a few homage-driven portrayals in this book, particularly calling into mind Jesse and Christina Custer (for crying out loud, Ma Gnucci even rolls around in a wheelchair). Even so, I refuse to go on some long-winded tangent about the brilliance that was Preacher, other than to say that any coupling of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon becomes a notable event for fans of Vertigo's exemplar franchise.

 

From a creative standpoint, I honestly can't think of a single pairing in the entire industry more coherent than these two. Ennis' best characters usually come in the form of down-on-their-luck schleppers with a history of failure, which is an archetype perfectly in line with Dillon's strengths. His ability to render characters utterly pathetic, particularly in their facial mannerisms, is completely unrivaled.

 

And in the end, that's what truly makes this story tick. The character at the heart of the tale, the illustrious Charlie Schitti, serves as the sole remnant of morality in an otherwise conscious-free world. He is dumb, but he's also easy to root for, making War Zone the first weekly comic in recent memory to actually hold my interest heading into its second installment.

 

 

Final score: 8.0

 

 

 

 

 

Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1 Review

Six Marvel leaders convene to ring in the new world order.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 10, 2008 - Secret Invasion was a significant disappointment to me as a reader. It was a disjointed event where the visceral action and the emotional core seemed to be perpetually divorced from one another. Looking back at issue #8, the most that can be said for Invasion is that the ending offers plenty of potential for quality storytelling from the Marvel crew. The trick is capitalizing on that potential. I had every hope that Brian Michael Bendis would be able to do just that with Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1. After all, he's always seemed most at home with quieter, dialogue-centric stories. This issue has plenty of that going on. Even better is the fact that Bendis is reunited with Alex Maleev. Together, the duo capped off Civil War beautifully with Civil War: The Confession. Why would anyone assume Secret Invasion: Dark Reign would be any different?

 

Taking all assumptions out of the picture, this issue was something of a disappointment. It's not slow so much as it is laid back and uninterested in presenting more than the bare minimum of what constitutes a story. It also

demonstrates that, as much as Bendis has directed the flow of the Marvel U. in the past decade, he doesn't have the greatest handle on all of its characters. However this issue does offer much of what I'd come to love about Bendis. Most of his talky issues are slow and bare bones, but that doesn't make them uninteresting. And while he may stumble in his depictions of some characters, others practically jump off the page. Dark Reign #1 is a whopper of a mixed bag in a way I never expected from Bendis.

 

This issue essentially picks up right where Invasion #8 left off, though it begins by showing how the various members of Osborn's new cabal arrived at their meeting place. From there, Osborn lays out his vision for the new world and how he sees the likes of Doctor Doom, Namor, Emma Frost, Loki, and The Hood fitting into it. Bendis has assembled an interesting cast to serve as his anti-Illuminati. It's worth noting that no mention is made of the other group, and only one person in the room is even aware of their existence. Bendis doesn't fall into the trap of trying to draw a direct parallel between the two.

 

 

One of the first questions that popped into my mind was how Bendis would justify bringing these six figures together. Why would Doom or Loki even deign to be summoned by Osborn? What does Emma Frost have in common with these villains? She's a bitch, but it's been some 15 or 20 years since anyone would label her as a villain. Bendis does a reasonable job answering these questions. Arguments can certainly be made that Character X belongs in the group more than Character Y, but none of these six stick out like a sore thumb.

 

It's in his depictions of these characters that Bendis finds both rousing success and some pretty resounding failure. I've never entirely approved of his portrayal of The Hood, but he never annoyed me in the way he does here. Parker Robbins makes an annoying entrance, and he never actually proves he has the inner fortitude to sit with the likes of Doom. His position in the Marvel U. justifies his inclusion more than his character. Emma is a problematic

character in that no two writers can seem to agree on just how cold and wicked she should be. Bendis writes her as a troubled and sympathetic teacher... perhaps a little too sympathetic. He also draws on certain elements of her

character that I felt had no real place in the issue. They certainly have no effect on Dark Reign. Bendis seems to step on the toes of several books, as a matter of fact. As a Thunderbolts fan, I was flat out annoyed with one the

issue's later scenes.

 

But other characters shine more brightly. Bendis writes a spectacular Doom and Namor. They work particularly well as a team. Those who bothered to read Cristopher Priest's Black Panther will remember the two once had a separate

cabal going along with Panther and Magneto. Readers get a sense of that long, shared history. The two aren't friends by any stretch of the imagination, but it's amusing to see them depicted as kindred spirits. Bendis is no slouch with Osborn, either. Osborn is really the crux of the issue, and it would have fallen hard without a decent portrayal of Marvel's new top dog.

 

Unfortunately, I'm forced to admit that the real weak point of the issue is Alex Maleev. I had my worries after seeing the cover a few weeks ago, and it's clear they were justified. While Maleev's style is drastically different inside, many of the same glaring inaccuracies persist. I'm convinced that Marvel is going to have to hire a full-time editor to monitor how Osborn's hair is depicted. It was a problem in "New Ways to Die," and it's a problem here. Worse by far - by far - is Namor. I assume Maleev used a model as a photo reference, and I sincerely hope he never relies on this person again. Namor looks like nothing if not a balding, overweight cosplayer at a fantasy convention. Imagine the Lord of the Rings movies if Hugo Weaving's Elrond swallowed a hobbit and decided to become an '80s porn star. Maleev also managed to make The Hood look like a bum dressed for the harsh cold of winter.

 

Nothing else about the art is quite so offensive to the eyes, but this is easily the worst work I've ever seen from Maleev. That signature mood he always injects into his work isn't quite there. I know he has a tendency to alter his style on almost every project, so I'd urge Maleev to stick with what works. Daredevil worked. Civil War: the Confession worked. This most assuredly doesn't. With as many missteps as both writer and artist make, Secret Invasion: Dark Reign is nearly as disappointing as the event that spawned it. It's not a good start for Dark Reign, and I sincerely hope it's not an indication of things to come. Fortunately, the numerous previews at the end suggest it won't be.

 

 

Jesse's Score: 6.9

 

 

 

 

 

Another Take by Bryan Joel

 

Whether you've been calling them the Dark Illuminati or the Illuminaughty, the members of Norman Osborn's cabal in Secret Invasion: Dark Reign have developed quite the buzz for themselves. This one-shot surprised me, then, by not being very controversial in many ways besides its cast. At its core, Dark Reign isn't really much more than Osborn rubbing his hands together and promising that things aren't going to be so bright and cheery anymore.

 

If you've ever read one of Bendis's "event" one-shots like The Confession or New Avengers: Illuminati, you'll be quite familiar with the style of Dark Reign. It's a essentially a bunch of talking heads laying the groundwork for future stories. That's not necessarily a complaint, mind you, but you'll probably already know whether Bendis tickles your fancy with this sort of thing.

 

To be fair, a good amount of the dialogue is well done. At times I find that Bendis's weird dialogue tics (strange stuttering, unnatural pauses, etc.) impede the flow of a book, but Dark Reign's pages pace themselves nicely. The

fluidity is noticeable especially if you've been following the writer for the last few years. Considering this book lives and dies by what these characters say to one another, it's reassuring that the chatter handled this well.

 

Still, I found Dark Reign came off a little hollow for me. The bright spot is, of course, getting the first glimpse of Norman Osborn in power in the Marvel Universe. Bendis handles the character exceptionally well. But the rest of the cast suffers somewhat. Loki's lines feel as stilted and awkward as Thor's did in Secret Invasion #8. Emma Frost displays very little of her token personality throughout the issue, and Namor comes off a little more bumbling than I imagine Bendis meant. Granted, this is Norman's book through and through so some of these minor complaints can be swept under the rug, but I can't help feeling a nagging sense that things are a little left of center.

 

That feeling isn't helped by the art. I'm a fan of Alex Maleev's work normally, but Dark Reign seems very off. For one, he draws one of the oddest interpretations of Namor I've ever seen - especially considering the character is currently appearing in Incredible Hercules looking much more like his traditional representation. Elsewhere, the details add up to detract from the whole. Loki's face has moments of pure hideousness, and the heavy inks on both

Dr. Doom and the Hood make both characters look more than a little muddled. We've seen much, much better from Alex Maleev than this.

 

In the interest of full fairness, Dark Reign does develop a few key things in the Marvel Universe. By playing with toys outside of the Avengers toybox, it threatens to change things for many titles, so if you're jazzed by that sort of thing, Dark Reign may be worth a look. But I found myself a bit disappointed by the lack of significance of it all.

 

 

Bryan's Score: 6.6

Final Score: 6.9

 

 

 

 

 

What If: Fallen Son #1 Review

Marvel's darkest day is when Tony Stark, not Steve Rogers, dies.

by Richard George

December 10, 2008 - I can't believe the dominant publisher in the comic book industry managed to green light a book as bad as What If: Fallen Son. Were I an editor, and had I seen the simplistic script and, in particular, amateurish art that's in this issue, I'd have cancelled the book rather than risk the guaranteed embarrassment that would be caused by this travesty of a production. This thing is absolutely horrid – please don't get suckered in by the concept or the slick cover by Ed McGuinness.

 

It's easily for me to categorically dismiss this entire issue from front to back, but I'll break it down a bit if for no other reason than the cathartic experience that will come from taking more time to tear it apart. Like many

What If titles, the concept behind What If: Fallen Son is reasonable – what if Iron Man had died instead of Captain America? Good enough, I suppose. It's a question I'm sure many of us pondered during the aftermath of Civil War,

particularly those of us labeling Tony Stark a villain. Unfortunately writer Marc Sumerak makes a terrible structural decision for the issue, forcing himself to adhere to the K?bler-Ross Seven Stages of Grief model that framed the original Fallen Son mini-series. Here's the problem with that – it wasn't very good the first time around, limiting characters to specific roles that weren't able to fully express the range of emotions that would inevitably result from the death of a cherished friend. This particular issue of What If, like so many, is short to the point of trivializing the extreme impact the death of Tony Stark would have on the Marvel Universe. Why can't What If ideas have more breathing room? We've seen House of M come back time and time again…

 

 

More damaging to this issue is the dialogue. Sumerak's script hops from character to character as it moves from emotion to emotion, leaving little time to logically bridge or fully explore each situation. Solution? Have every

character spell things out through stilted dialogue and actions. Sumerak's script desperately tries to explain ten things at once (i.e. simultaneously reminding readers that Luke Cage hates Stark, justify why he hates Stark, crack

a joke about Skrulls that doesn't fit the timeline and link back to why Peter Parker is in a black suit) and ends up failing in every regard. This one-shot was so awkwardly written that I had to set it down several times out of sheer

frustration and boredom.

 

As if the limited plot and painful dialogue weren't enough, and they certainly would be enough to turn me away, the art is something else entirely. Storyboards for movies, which are designed to convey the barest of essential

visual cues, are better than this garbage. I really hate tearing down work like this, but artist Trevor Goring is really, really bad at his craft. I can only hope that Marvel rushed his thumbnail sketches into production. (That would suggest an entirely different set of problems for this book, but at least it's a valid explanation.) Characters are flat, lifeless, void of detail and poorly composed. Action sequences completely miss the point and you can completely rule out any semblance of emotional power. This is some of the worst storytelling I've ever seen from any publisher.

 

It goes without saying that I see a lot of comic books week in and week out. It comes with the territory of the job, and because of that volume, which includes a lot of fantastic content, it's harder and harder for me to be impressed. I still enjoy comic books (obviously), but I expect more from them in many respects. I honestly don't think that's a bad thing. In fact, I think all people in this business - from the creators and editors to the shop owners and readers - should too. Books like What If: Fallen Son strike me as cheap attempts to exploit marketable concepts. I clearly realize that's not the intent here, no one deliberately makes a bad book, but when something is in fact this atrocious you really have to wonder why no one spoke up.

 

There are many brilliant books out there that will be outsold by this. Why? Because it's Captain America holding the dead body of Iron Man. Because readers and retailers expect a certain level of quality from a publisher that by some

estimates holds 50% of the industry. Where is Marvel's quality control? Product like this is just inconceivable in my mind and, as both a reader and reviewer, I sincerely hope Marvel takes a good, hard look at the model it's adhering to for its What If line. I'm just thankful I don't read garbage like this every week.

 

 

Final score: 2.7

 

 

 

 

 

Wolverine: Flies to a Spider Review

Wolverine goes to war with a nasty gang of bikers.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 10, 2008 - Contrary to popular belief, there are more than two ongoing Wolverine books on the market. With the frequency in which Marvel puts out one-shot specials like Wolverine: Dangerous Games and Wolverine: Firebreak,

they have to qualify as at least a third or fourth ongoing book. These issues always offer the same thing - a done-in-one story with Wolverine clawing his way through scads of bad guys. They can be a nice diversion from the long-form, structured narrative of Wolverine: Origins and the chronic absence of Mark Millar's Wolverine. On the other hand, how much Wolverine does the world really need?

 

A little less, if Wolverine: Flies to a Spider is any indication. This newest one-shot special is written by Gregg Hurwitz, of Punisher MAX and Foolkiller fame. Hurwitz presents an interesting conundrum in that his earliest work

Marvel work thoroughly impressed me, but his more recent efforts have fallen pretty flat. I loved the first Foolkiller mini-series, but I pretty much despise his Punisher MAX. Go figure. As it turns out, Flies to a Spider is very much in line with Hurwitz's current workload. It plays out as a very standard tale of revenge and violence, with little thought given the the story's emotional undercurrent.

 

Perhaps the most scathing criticism I can level at this issue is the fact that it doesn't feel very much like a Wolverine story. This could very easily have been told with Frank Castle in the lead role, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn the story was initially conceived as part of Hurwitz's Punisher MAX run. When a gang of bikers terrorize a small town, the ol' Canucklehead arrives to dish out his particular brand of justice. From there it's

essentially 32 pages of watching Wolverine guzzle beer and stab some scurrilous scoundrels. Hurwitz numbers among the crowd that refuses to clutter up their Wolverine story with excess narration. Nor does he make Logan speak except when absolutely necessary. On one hand I commend him for allowing Wolverine to shut up for once. On the other, the silent treatment only really works when he has a supporting cast to play off of.

 

Unlike Roar, the last one-shot, the art here is pretty forgettable. Honestly, a quality set of pencils is all any of these one-shots ever have to offer. When that end comes up lacking, I just don't see the point. Jerome Opena's work is so-so at best. His storytelling is clear, but his figures are pretty wonky and often needlessly exaggerated. I don't think the "Popeye arm" look suits Wolverine. If you absolutely, positively need a Wolverine story this month that doesn't feature the rest of the X-Men, check out Jason Aaron's Wolverine: Manifest Destiny. Even as a casual diversion, Flies to a Spider just isn't that appealing.

 

 

Final score: 5.7

 

 

 

 

 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 Review

The House of Ideas adapts one of the most popular fantasy stories of all time.

by Richard George

December 10, 2008 - Over the past couple years Marvel has done something rather remarkable. A publisher once known for its superheroes and little else is now garnering a lot of attention and critical praise for much that is outside its "core" superhero experience. It's almost to the point where I'd be willing to trade one set of books for the other. As if Dark Tower, The Stand, Ender's Game and the classic line weren't strong enough products, along comes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a phenomenal treatment of L. Frank Baum's classic children's tale.

 

One of the uncanny abilities Marvel has been demonstrating with these projects is its ability to get the talent right. I look at the Stephen King projects and Ender's Game and I can't imagine any other creators working on them. From the tone to the visual style and presence, these teams understand the material they are working with and treat it with the utmost admiration, even when they are forced to tweak various elements of the source material in the process. With writer Eric Shanower and artist Skottie Young, Marvel has done it again. This pair, along with colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu, has a remarkable creative chemistry and the proof is right on the page. The characters, the scenery, the pacing… everything about this book is a clear letter of love to what Baum

created decades ago.

 

Perhaps that's a fault in some ways. Those of you looking for a new interpretation aren't going to find anything radically original here. This isn't Wicked. This isn't Fables. So in some ways you might find that you're reading the "same old thing." It's certainly a reaction I can understand even if I'm not entirely in agreement. Oz sets out to do one thing and it does that remarkably well. What's more interesting is that the simplicity and familiarity

of the script allowed me to focus on Skottie Young's work. It's not that Shanower did anything wrong here, but it almost feels like he's nonexistent. Good? Bad? That will ultimately depend on what you're wanting from this

project.

 

Skottie Young has always been an artist I've admired, from his work on New X-Men to his run on the New Warriors limited series. Young's art is unique in this industry, a visual style that doesn't attempt to be the next Jim Lee or Todd McFarlane. Not that I mind artists doing that necessarily, but it's good to have pencillers who stand out from the rest of the pack. A traditional artist for Oz would have likely removed the vast majority of what makes this project so appealing to me. I'm sure it would have been a fine adaptation, but it would have lacked that extra something. Young's designs for the characters and the world are nothing short of remarkable here. His Dorothy is endearing and although I rather hate little dogs, Toto's resemblance to a stuffed animal somehow makes him charming in his own way. Likewise the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man all have looks that make them stand out from the thousands of versions that have come before (I'm extremely curious about the designs for Emerald City as well). Whereas the writing for this mini-series takes the safe road, Young makes his mark with the visuals. Most important, though, is that Young isn't altering the material for the sake of doing so. The designs fit their characters. Everything feels appropriate… but different. It's an excellent mix of both worlds.

 

I can't say enough about colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu. Colorists and inkers are often overlooked in this industry despite the fact that their contributions can be as beneficial or damning as the penciller's. In this case, Beaulieu's work perfectly complements Young's, giving the page an almost painted quality that enhances characters and makes the scenery absolutely stunning. Even back in dreary old Kansas the art simply pops off the page thanks to the wonderful color palette at work. Once again Marvel made a fantastic creative choice here.

 

 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz could have been a capable and faithful translation of a classic story. That's all it really needed to be. While the writing certainly is just that, the art team really runs wild, delivering one of the finest visual experiences of the year. And it's likely that, with seven issues to go, things will only get better from here. Marvel's endeavors with its adaptations have been quite outstanding; Oz is yet another example of this publisher growing its business and doing it in a way that is both respectful and incredibly entertaining.

 

 

Final score: 9.5

[revi]

Bro, since madalas ka naman kumuha ng Wizard eh i-post mo na lang lage yung mga Top 10 sa issues na binibili mo. Hehehe. 3 yung comics ko na nasa list pero aasahan ko na bababa din yung value nung Batman #676 at Secret Invasion #1. Yung Action Comics #869 eh parang nabalitaan ko din nung nagkaroon ng potmouth nung All Star Batman and Robin #10 kung hindi ako nagkakamali at may isa pang comic na na-recall (bale 3 comics during that time kung tama ang hinala ko). Di ko naresearch mabuti kasi nag focus ako dun sa ASB&R. Sinuwerte ka na naman sa Kick-Ass #1 ah? Hanep!

 

I'll definitely pick-up this new Justice League book next year. Since nag-post ka ng Top Ten Commics ng latest issue ng Wizard eh i-popost ko na din dito yung latest review ng ign.com sa ilang Marvel at DC na lumabas this week (Dec 10, 2008) isisnama ko na din yung Wizard of Oz dahil napag-uusapan na rin lang.

 

Hindi ako madalas bumili ng Wizard, bro.. Every end of the year lang to get a feel of the up and coming comics for next year and the HOT comics of last year.. But kung makakabili ako, parati kong ipo-post yung nasa Top 10.. Para namang magkaroon ang readers dito ng feel kung ano na ang nangyayari sa international comic industry..

 

Feeling ko bababa ang value ng SI regular issues dahil darating na ang Dark Reign.. Much like what happened to Civil War.. Yung variants would most probably stay the same.. Much like the Uncanny XMen Variants.. But I have a much better feel for Batman #676.. Unless, somebody makes RIP a "nothing" event (like what they did in Knightfall), this issue would "fall" in the guide.. Sa ngayon, hindi pa.. I just hope DC (or its Batman writers) builds on Morrison's RIP making it significant in the next issues or in the next years of the Batman mytho..

[revi]

Eto pulls ko for the week:

 

Supergirl #36

Dark Reign: New Nation

Ghost Rider #30

Mighty Avengers #20

Uncanny X-Men #505

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1

 

Impaler #1

CE Murphy's Take A Chance #1

 

I have decided not to get X-Men Legacy.. Wala naman kasing major happenings sa Marvel Mutants ngayon eh.. Kingbreaker will be part of my pull because I feel that a lot of stuff would happen here for the new Starjammers.. Baka may mamatay ulit dito (much like in the Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire).. I did not get Emperor Vulcan coz it was stated in the previews that it would just focus on what would happen to Vulcan's rule and nothing spectacular would happen to Havok and company.. Dito iba ang sinasabi.. :thumbsupsmiley:

[khumpleetist]

Hindi ako madalas bumili ng Wizard, bro.. Every end of the year lang to get a feel of the up and coming comics for next year and the HOT comics of last year.. But kung makakabili ako, parati kong ipo-post yung nasa Top 10.. Para namang magkaroon ang readers dito ng feel kung ano na ang nangyayari sa international comic industry..

 

Feeling ko bababa ang value ng SI regular issues dahil darating na ang Dark Reign.. Much like what happened to Civil War.. Yung variants would most probably stay the same.. Much like the Uncanny XMen Variants.. But I have a much better feel for Batman #676.. Unless, somebody makes RIP a "nothing" event (like what they did in Knightfall), this issue would "fall" in the guide.. Sa ngayon, hindi pa.. I just hope DC (or its Batman writers) builds on Morrison's RIP making it significant in the next issues or in the next years of the Batman mytho..

 

Ah, yun nga gusto kong sabihin, pag bibili ka ng Wizard eh i-post mo yung mga Top 10. Hahaha. Bababa na nga ang Secret Invasion kasi padating na yung Dark Reign. Yung Batman RIP eh babasahin ko ulit. Napansin ko lang na pag si Morisson ang nagsulat eh kailangang balikan mo yung previous issues para maintindihan mo yung ginawa niya. Pero kahit balikan ko eh mukhang hindi ko masyadong maiintindihan dahil parang may impact yung mga tie-ins eh.

 

Nakakaengganyo yung Impaler #1 pero tama na muna yung list ko. Yung Dark Reign: New Nation naman eh parang preview ng mga lalabas na title (parang yung Civil War: The Initiative) kaya nag-pass ako.

 

Feel ko yung Invincible Iron Man eh magiging maganda ang takbo.

 

 

 

 

Eto pull list ko:

 

GHOST RIDER #30

HELLBLAZER #250

MIGHTY AVENGERS #20

NEW EXILES #16

TANGENT SUPERMANS REIGN #10 (OF 12)

[revi]

^ Salamat sa heads-up on New Nation, bro.. If its just a preview/sneak peeks of sorts, then I will also pass.. :thumbsupsmiley: Sayang din ang pera kung previews lang ito at tapos bibilhin mo din naman yung regular issues.. Sana kung mura, eh nasa $3.99 siya eh..

[khumpleetist]

Clarify ko lang. Ang hinala ko eh mga prologue ito (mali pala na "previews" ang ginamit ko) nung mga lalabas na title pero pwede ring mali ang hinala ko. Siguro mga 8 page prologue ito per story.

[revi]

^ Still, thanks for the head's up on this, bro.. Kung hindi man ito previews at prologues nga ito, it only means one thing, Marvel is trying to milk our money out.. Kamukha siguro ito nung DC prologues after Infinite Crisis called Brave New World.. But at least, DC made this a $1.00 book.. Kaya affordable, compared to Marvel's $3.99 price tag..

 

I've asked Filbars to reserve me a copy, but I might not get this kaagad.. I have to browse first and look at reviews, then I will decide.. But its almost sure na hindi ko ito kukunin.. Unless, the cover is stunning.. hahaha..

[revi]

I have recently bought the newest Wizard release.. Wizard 2009 Platinum that discusses the up and coming events for 2009.. Andiyan yung mga bagong releases from Alan Moore (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), IDW and Dynamite (Project Superpowers II)..

 

What caught my eye were Matt Fraction's two books.. Uncanny and Invincible Iron Man.. Fraction's Marvel books are considered to be major event holders next year.. Uncanny would deal (daw) with Emma Frost's appearance with Osborn's group in the last panel of SI #8, while Invincible Iron Man's "World's Most Wanted" would deal on Iron Man's fall-out from the government's eye and under the scrutiny of Osborn.. Mukha ngang maganda ang "Most Wanted" sa Iron Man..

 

Therefore, I've decided to get this week's Invincible Iron Man #8.. Part 1 ito ng "World's Most Wanted.."

 

Another event that has creeped up is the changing of the JLA line-up which I have discussed in the previous pages.. Missing are DC's Holy Trinity.. There would be no Supes, Wonder Woman and Bats.. Why? Superman's New Krypton storyline would deal with that.. Batman's RIP would also answer that.. But what about Wonder Woman? I have just the storyline.. "Rise of the Olympians.." Where Diana would be replaced by a man.. Yep.. A man..

 

Therefore, dahil sa nabasa ko, nagpatabi na din ako ng Wonder Woman #26 (out na yata ito last week pa).. #26-31 daw ang storyline na ito.. Will discontinue all Superman after New Krypton kasi mawawala na si Supes sa Action.. At siguro after Gaiman's run on Bats, tapos na din muna ako dito.. Kasi there would be other mini-series ni Batman na mag-fo-focus on who would take the mantle of the Bat.. Sa WW, di ko pa alam.. But I would try to shy away from WW #32..

 

That is all for now.. Will update this thread as soon as I read more.. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Ang problema nito dadami ang mga kukunin ko na comics next year.. Gearing up pa ang Spiderman for issue #600.. Variant mode na naman tayo pag nagkataon.. hahaha...

Edited December 17, 2008 by revi

[revi]

Hmmm.. Xmas Day pala ang shipment ng comics dito sa atin.. Mukhang delayed tayo for the next two weeks..

 

Well, just want to share another discounted Spidey figure I just purchased a few weeks back.. This is the Spiderman III, Die Cast Titanium Spidey figure.. 999 ito dati.. Was sold in Sta. Lucia for 299 na lang.. haha.. Iisa na lang ito at natiyambahan ko..

 

Some other Spidey figs I bought were his Mighty Muggs (black and original costume).. Have decided to continue focusing on Spiderman figures lately.. Napabayaan ko na kasi ang collection ko na ito eh.. haha..

 

Here're the pictures..

Edited December 19, 2008 by revi

[revi]

^ Thanks bro..

[khumpleetist]

@revi

 

Panalo ka na naman sa mga figures mo, sobrang baba ng ibinaba ng presyo ah mapupuno na museum mo nyan. Hahahaha.

 

In my opinion Invincible Iron Man would really be hot after what happened to Tony at the end of Secret Invasion. Uncanny would be intersting as well since Emma is a member of the "Dark Illuminati" although I'm still thinking why not Magneto. On a side note, Namor is the 2nd interesting member of the Dark Illuminati since he's a member of the Illuminati as well. Back to 2009's upcoming titles I don't know if I'll continue w/my current titles bro. I might just stick with Ghost Rider, Punisher (the new title) and Kick-Ass from Marvel while Reign In Hell and Hellblazer from DC. Or I could just stick with New Exiles and Kick-Ass from Marvel while Booster Gold and Hellblazer from DC. Or just continue w/my titles and add Dark Avengers and JLA next year. I'm having this contemplation since I'll buy TPBs next year (probably 2 per month). Pag ako tinopak eh yung second option ang gagawin ko. Hehehe.

 

 

Aside from IIR I think War Machine will be hot. Honestly, I'm also contemplating on getting it along w/the new Punisher title. Anyway, is War of The Kings the next major Marvel "event"? I know there's Dark Reign but I think DR is just a state of the current situation.

 

It's like 52 again in DC since the Trinity won't be around. I'm thinking about giving Vigilante a shot but I don't know if he's as brutal as Frank Castle, any thoughts on Vigilante (miniseries)? Battle Of The Cowl (?) would be nice but I'm not sure kung kukunin ko pero yung Azrael na katie-in nito eh kukunin ko malamang.

 

 

 

 

@norby

 

Pahinga ka lang muna jan norby, sa January ka na lang bumawi. Ako nga eh ngayon pa lang bumabawi sa mga back issues ko. Tiis lang muna.

[khumpleetist]

These are some of ign.com's current reviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Batman and the Outsiders #14 Review

The comic book equivalent of robbery.

by Dan Phillips

December 17, 2008 - Ever see an awards show, talent show or variety show in which a terribly untalented host or MC was forced to awkwardly k*ll time while the next act got ready to hit the stage? Ever since the start of this Batman RIP tie-in, that's exactly what Batman and the Outsiders has felt like.

 

In the time between Chuck Dixon's aborted run and Peter Tomasi's upcoming new creative direction (the third in fifteen issues, in case you haven't been counting), writer Frank Tieri has been forced to take barely one issue's worth of story (Batgirl searching for team members to fill the void left by Batman) and stretch it out into a four-issue arc. The result has read like the comic book equivalent of bad impersonations and cheesy one-liners delivered by a desperate host. It's been one of the most worthless four-issue arcs I've ever read, and frankly, an insult to anyone who plopped down twelve hard-earned dollars for this watered down product.

 

This issue took me about three minutes to read cover-to-cover. Ten of its twenty-two pages are constructed with three wide-screen panels or less. Four of the remaining twelve pages are constructed with four wide-screen panels. These fourteen pages consist mostly of visually unremarkable snapshots of unnecessary action or wholly mundane activities with only a smattering of dialogue sprinkled throughout. It's an absolute joke. Maybe this would be acceptable if artist Ryan Benjamin were so impressive that it'd be worth $2.99 just to see him draw wide-screen panel after wide-screen panel of Nightwing kicking Batgirl or a shadowy figure dressing himself, but that's hardly the case. What we have here is an example of a writer and artist artificially stretching four or five pages worth of story over twenty-two. And they don't hide it very well, either.

 

The only thing that makes this issue tolerable to any degree is the fact that we know this is the last insulting issue of this type that we'll have to suffer through. That being the case, Tieri is able to spend his final handful of unacceptably sparse pages hinting at the appearance of a mysterious new character. Other than that, there's no redeemable quality to this issue whatsoever.

 

But maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe some people out there agree with DC that $2.99 is an acceptable price to pay to see Batgirl and Nightwing fight, the Riddler chew some scenery, and a shadowy figure whip and dress himself. You know what I say to you people? You're nuts.

 

 

Final Rating: 3.0

 

 

 

 

Hellblazer #250 Review

A quintet of creators celebrate Christmas with Constantine.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - I'm noticing something of a trend with this year's crop of holiday-flavored comics. Most of them seem to be focusing on darker themes and featuring mature reader-oriented characters. Just this month Marvel delivered Moon Knight and Punisher MAX specials. Both were dark, but both were also quite good. Now Vertigo is getting in n that action with the release of Hellblazer #250. This anniversary issue offers up five different stories from a variety of past Hellblazer writers. Consider it a holiday treat before Peter Milligan begins his tenure on the series next month.

 

Personally, though, I don't consider it much of a treat. I'm still sore from the loss of Andy Diggle, whose recently-concluded run numbers among my favorite of the series' long life. At this point, I have little interest in reading the further adventures of John Constantine unless they can measure up to Diggle's work in some way, shape, or form. And looking at the five stories contained within, I'd say none are on that level. This special issue isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seems utterly bland in comparison to what has come before.

 

This issue offers up five tales, most written by popular Hellblazer writers of years gone by. The first, and my personal favorite, is written by Dave Gibbons and drawn by Sean Phillips. This tale sees Constantine reluctantly repay a favor by hunting down a museum thief with evil intentions. This story sets the general tone of the issue, as pretty much every story involves Constantine righting holiday wrongs of some sort or another. It quickly gets to the point where the stories grow stale almost as soon as they start. They aren't bad, but I think if the issue was split into one or two stories rather than five I would have enjoyed the entire product more. Other than Gibbons' tale, the only one that struck me as particularly memorable was Brian Azzarello tale, which is actually an adaptation of a fan poem. The simple fact that a Constantine adventure is set to rhyming verse is a novelty.

 

On its own, this issue is a reasonably amusing collection of Christmas stories. It just so happens that "reasonably amusing" isn't what I want from Hellblazer at the moment. Incoming writer Peter Milligan didn't quite impress me here, and I can only hope that this issue isn't an indication of things to come.

 

 

Final Rating: 6.9

 

 

 

 

Robin #181 Review

Anarky hits the streets of Gotham.

by Dan Phillips

December 17, 2008 - If I had to describe Fabian Nicieza's "Search for a Hero" arc on Robin up until this point, I'd call it a mishmash of War Games, a typically lukewarm RIP tie-in and Chuck Dixon's first run on the title…with the Red Robin costume thrown in for good measure. For the most part, it's been less than engaging, and I've often found myself struggling to care why or how its disparate plot threads connect to one another.

 

At times, its lack of subtlety has been painful, and its over-reliance on voice-over narration has made me cringe. With all that said, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself entertained by the penultimate chapter, especially since it retained many of the problems I've had with the arc since it began. I suspect the fact that I enjoyed the issue despite all these flaws is a testament to both Nicieza's ability to ratchet up the tension in this chapter and the dramatic power of some of the moments he's included here.

 

If you've been following the story to this point, you know that a gang war is raging in Gotham, the police force is on strike, Spoiler is trying to push Robin to new heroic heights, two villainous faces familiar to Tim Drake have returned in the form of Anarky and Ulysses H. Armstrong, and Tim is kind of going off the deep-end trying to figure out how to control the whole mess. Like I said, it's not terribly original, and the connection between these disparate threads isn't nearly as intriguing or mysterious as it is no doubt intended to be.

 

What made this penultimate issue more entertaining than its predecessors were the moments involving the rise of Anarky, and Tim's singularly driven desire to put a stop to the chaos. Nicieza does an effective job pointing out the parallels between Tim's reaction to this situation and the typical modus operandi of his more brooding mentor, which is all the more powerful knowing that Tim will soon take part in a struggle to fill Batman's shoes. One moment in particular in which Tim shakes off horrific injuries in order to return to action is especially dramatic, thanks in no small part to artist Freddie E. Williams' delivery of the unnerving visual at the heart of the scene.

 

By no coincidence, the issue's most effective moments include the least amount of voice-over narration, meaning Nicieza actually allows his characters' dialogue and William's dynamic art to do all the heavy lifting. Moments where Nicieza piles on the voice-over narration of Robin and Spoiler are to no surprise the least effective, and read as clumsily as the weakest of this arc's installments. From the looks of it, though, the final chapter should revolve mostly around the climactic intersection of all these threads, and one would hope Nicieza would let the dramatic dialogue and visuals speak for themselves. I'll be crossing my fingers.

 

 

Final Rating: 7.1

 

 

 

 

Supergirl #36 Review

A tragedy hits New Krypton.

by Dan Phillips

December 17, 2008 - At this point, I think I've come to terms with New Krypton and have accepted it for what it is: another uneven crossover tale that's overloaded with too much action, too many characters and far too many ideas. The central concept remains as fascinating as ever, and I'm still eager and excited to see how this ends up for Superman, his friends and his city. Sadly, the pacing has never felt quite right, and it's become all too apparent that the entertainment value of any given installment will rely mostly on the intrigue and impact of the story beats it covers. In other words, I no longer expect the greater New Krypton storyline to be executed all that effectively, and am simply hoping that the next installment pushes the narrative further than the last one did.

 

With those tempered expectations, I actually enjoyed Supergirl #36 quite a bit. The issue is still bogged down by the problems that have plagued New Krypton as a whole, but it progresses the central conflict between Superman and the Kandorians in a fulfilling and exciting way. In that regard, I'd call Sterling Gates' latest installment a success. Picking up immediately after Zor-El's fatal injury from last week's cliffhanger, Gates goes on to push the philosophical rift between Kal-El and Alura to its boiling point. With the exception of the few instances in which he pauses to cover a few of this storylines' subplots (an annoying tendency found in nearly every one of New Krypton's chapters), Gates mostly focuses on this central conflict. As a result, there's more palpable drama here than there's been in a single issue of New Krypton thus far, which is definitely a good thing. New Krypton has for the most part been so busy giving us violent action that it's rarely slowed down to explore the consequences of that action. This issue does that, and it's better and more powerful for it.

 

Another highpoint of this issue is the art of Jamal Igle, which is mostly head and shoulders above the art of Pete Woods seen last week, and is even an improvement on Igle's own work in his last issue of Supergirl. I've mostly known Igle as a competent, nuts-and-bolts storyteller who focuses on clarity above all else, so it was nice to see him stretch his legs here and deliver impressive widescreen panels that effectively capture both the energy and the dramatic weight of these early scenes. There's also a boldness and vibrancy to Igle's work here that I've never seen from him before. By and large, I'm confident calling this the best work I've seen from the veteran artist.

 

Looking back on this issue, I can't help but wonder what would have been had New Krypton been planned and executed more effectively. The developments seen in this issue were powerful and definitely pushed the narrative into some intriguing dramatic territory. The problem is, we could have reached this point a lot earlier in this series, and the dramatic payoff of this issue would have been far greater without the earlier interference and unnecessary distractions from the likes of needless retcons, the Creature Commandoes, Lana Lang, Nightwing and Flamebird, and the new Superwoman. I just can't bring myself to care about these plots nearly as much as I care about the central conflict of this story, and I don't know if I ever will.

 

 

Final Rating: 7.7

 

 

 

 

Trinity #29 Review

The JSI fights a losing battle on multiple fronts.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - Yay! It's my favorite time of the week. I get to review another issue of Trinity and struggle to think of new ways to reiterate the same few complaints I've had for six months straight. No, the series has not magically grown less boring or stagnant in the span of a week. No, it provides no indication that it'll grow less boring or stagnant in the near future. At this point I see no real point in diving into the specifics of each issue anymore, but what the heck. I might as well justify the time spent reading it.

 

Once again, the main story follows several basic threads. The heroes of the JSI are waging a losing battle against the forces of Morgaine le Fay, who at this point is beginning to tear down reality itself. Meanwhile, Alfred and his merry bunch are coming ever closer to unraveling the mystery of the vanishing Trinity. And finally, there's a lot of nonsense relating to tarot decks. These first two threads sound interesting in their most basic form, but it's a hallmark of Trinity that nothing is ever as interesting as it should be. It's been obvious for months now that it's only a matter of time before the world remembers the Trinity and welcome Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman back into the world. As for when the series will quit beating around the bush, your guess is as god as mine.

 

It's becoming less and less frequent that Mark Bagley's art really impresses me. Particularly with this issue, much of the visceral excitement is saved for the back-up tale. Tom Derenick, on the other hand, is rising to the occasion admirably. His art is probably the most detailed I've seen in the series, and certainly the most dynamic. Sure, many of his characters look like they're stowing a wad of chewing tobacco in their lower lips, but I can forgive that. Truly, Derenick's art is about the only thing in this series I still find enjoyable.

 

 

Final Rating: 5.6

 

 

 

 

Amazing Spider-Man #581 Review

Pete and Harry take a road trip to Jersey.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - I'm sure the overall mediocrity of "New Ways to Die" turned some readers off of Amazing Spider-Man. That's unfortunate, though, because each issue following that storyline has been a real gem. For the past two months, Marvel has finally delivered on their promise to make Spidey fresh and exciting again. And they did it not by deluding him with new characters or touching upon the central mysteries of Brand New Day, but by just allowing their creators to cut loose and tell fun, dynamic stories. Given the success of this approach, I cringe whenever upcoming issues promise to reveal mysteries or answer unanswered questions. Issue #581 just reinforces my belief that these secrets aren't worth knowing.

 

This new two-issue arc, courtesy of Dan Slott and Mike McKone, is intended to tackle the mystery of Harry Osborn's resurrection and reappearance. I wasn't even sure if Harry's friends knew he had died before this point, so I guess I'm grateful to this issue for at least clearing that matter up. Still, once the script launched into a heavy-handed and very comic book-y explanation of these events, my brain was ready to drop out and take a nap. I just don't care anymore. If this level of silliness is what we can expect anytime an issue reveals the mysteries of Harry's life in Europe or Jackpot's secret identity or whatever, I don't want to know. The fun and excitement that was so palpable in the recent Joe Kelly and Mark Waid issues just drains away this week.

 

And it's a shame, because I've always felt Slott to be an excellent fit for Spidey. In sporadic cases this issue shows off his talent. Peter has some good lines, and the issue isn't entirely unfunny. Early on, when Slott devotes his attention to the BND love quadrangle, I was almost fooled into thinking this issue would be on par with past weeks. But the overarching plot is pretty bland. Peter and Harry go on a road trip to Jersey to visit Harry's ex-wife Liz Allen and baby Normie. For some reason that seems utterly inexplicable to me, Liz is keeping her brother - otherwise known as the super-villain Molten Man - locked up in the basement. If you guessed a Spider-Man/Molten Man showdown is inevitable, you're not far off the mark. When it isn't stumbling over revealing Harry's recent past, the issue feels like a convoluted method of Spidey clash with a familiar villain.

 

Luckily, Mike McKone's art provides some level of redemption to the proceedings. Though not as impressive as in recent weeks, the book has a clean, solid look that suits Spidey's world well. McKone is fortunate enough to be able to draw several classic Spidey villains in this issue, and I'd say he nails them.

 

After a full year and 36 issues, Marvel has shown us what to expect from Amazing. When the scripts ignore the jangled mess of continuity and retcons that make up Brand New Day and just tell fun stories, the series works marvelously. When they get too caught up on exploring the new status quo, we get issues like this. I hope Marvel takes these examples to heart in 2009. There's no reason these past two months can't be the norm rather than the exception.

 

 

Final Rating: 6.2

 

 

 

 

Dark Reign: New Nation Review

A look at Marvel's new status quo.

by Bryan Joel

December 17, 2008 - It's that time again in Marvel event season where new series and storylines spring out of the aftermath of the publisher's big summer blockbuster books. It's becoming tradition that a one-shot be released that provides all-new prologues for the coming tales. In 2007, Marvel released Civil War: The Initiative, an anthology book that featured the kick-starts to things like Mighty Avengers, Omega Flight, and Warren Ellis's Thunderbolts. Dark Reign: New Nation is much in the same vein as that offering, and unfortunately runs into the same pitfalls as its predecessor.

 

Firstly, a disclaimer. If you get a sense of d?j? vu reading New Nation, you're not crazy. Of the five stories printed in the one shot, abbreviated versions of three of them were bolted on to the back of last week's SI: Dark Reign one-shot. The decision to pad that one-shot with material from this one definitely calls into question the overall value of New Nation, as I can't imagine a huge number of readers coming into New Nation not having read Dark Reign. And at $4, it's not exactly a bargain when you've seen nine of these pages already. It's a superficial gripe, but one I thought I'd mention just the same. But let's assume you ignored the end of Dark Reign last week...

 

By far, the best reason to look into New Nation is the Skrull k*ll Krew story by Adam Felber and Paulo Siqueira. It's been a long-standing joke that there are still Skrull cows running around the Marvel Universe from an early issue of Fantastic Four. With the invasion over, Ryder decides to tie up those loose ends, and doesn't exactly get what he expects, from the livestock or from the locals. The idea of a k*ll Krew book is equal parts genius and insane (considering, uh, the Skrulls have already been beaten and all...), and Felber seems to have a nice handle on the dichotomy. The action is suitably over-the-top and suggests that SKK will be one of the more entertaining comics in the coming year. Greg Pak and Leonardo Manco's War Machine prologue is almost as good, displaying some beautiful art and making very good use of the alloted page space by telling a satisfying story that clearly marks the sort of hero Rhodey will be.

 

Others run into a hallmark problem with this type of thing: with the big-name series (in this case, Secret Warriors and the Hawkeye/Mockingbird angst-fest New Avengers: The Reunion), the writers have to toe a conservative line. A prologue to these series can't reasonably steal the thunder of issue #1. So as a result, we get a story of Nick Fury fondly recalling his time with Captain America and using it as inspiration for his new team. It's a fine story, but it's information you probably could've already guessed if you've ever seen Nick Fury in anything else before. The Hawkeye and Mockingbird story is slightly more successful, firmly establishing their post-SI identities and the status quo for their relationship, but nothing of consequence really comes from it (yet?).

 

Somewhere in the middle is the quirky Agents Of Atlas teaser, full of Uranians, Namora smashing tanks, and gorillas with ornery attitudes. It very clearly assumes the reader has full knowledge of the relatively unpopular Agents and their exploits of late, so as an introduction for a new series I'm not sure it succeeds as well as other pieces of this one-shot might. But it does have its charms, and artist Carlo Pagulayan turns out some great work.

 

Hit or miss for the project as a whole, then. There are some sleepy points, but none of the high points really offset them (or the price tag). If you decide to splurge, though, there are some fun moments to be had with the glimpses into Marvel's future.

 

 

Final Rating: 6.3

 

 

 

 

Ghost Rider #30 Review

Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch race to track down the last remaining Ghost Riders.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - I never expected any writer to keep me interested in Ghost rider for as long as Jason Aaron has, but that's what he's managed to do over the past year. Ghost Rider has dusted himself off and hit the road once again. And now that the multi-year saga involving rogue angel Zadkiel appears to be reaching its zenith, Aaron's momentum shows no signs of slowing.

 

This month, Johnny Blaze, the new Caretaker, and their new pair of Ghost Rider buddies are traveling the world in search of the remaining few Riders. Danny Ketch, as it turns out, has been giving the Riders of the world the full Highlander treatment, all in hopes of empowering his master Zadkiel. This month is actually the first time we catch a good glimpse of Zadkiel and his ongoing war against Heaven. I'm not entirety sold on Aaron's portrayal, mainly because of some fairly weak dialogue. To set him apart from the rest of the angels, Aaron grants Zadkiel some oddly casual dialogue, as if he were more Spider-Man villain than immortal spirit.

 

The real meat of the story is still back on Earth. Ketch confronts a Japanese Ghost Rider clearly cribbed from Kaneda in the anime classic Akira. Aaron isn't exactly shy about showing off his cinematic influences lately, and I get a big kick out of seeing these weird and disparate elements come together. It's unfortunate that Zadkiel's war takes up such a large chunk of the issue. When Aaron focuses on the earthly heroes and villains, I usually find myself having a blast. Way up in the clouds - not so much.

 

Tan Eng Huat continues to impress me, particularly as Aaron throws more new characters at him. The book becomes increasingly more diverse as each new Ghost Rider rears its head. Now that Huat seems to have settled in with the characters, I can't even find any weak points to call out.

 

Like I said, I never really expected to be this engrossed by a Ghost Rider book, but it's clear that all Johnny Blaze needed these many long years was the right creative team. Finally, at long last, he has one.

 

 

Final Rating: 7.7

 

 

 

 

Invincible Iron Man #8 Review

Tony Stark and his friends deal with life after S.H.I.E.L.D.

by Jesse Schedeen

 

 

December 17, 2008 - It's official. Iron Man is back to having only one ongoing book in the regular Marvel Universe. I'm of the opinion that, if Matt Fraction is writing your series, that's usually the only one you need. In fact I'd almost say the world has no reason to feel sorry for Tony Stark. On the other hand, it becomes quickly apparent in Invincible Iron Man #8 that we should feel very sorry for Stark. I've rarely seen Iron Man in such dire straits, and it only makes me love this book even more.

 

Following the events of Secret Invasion #8, Stark is pretty much on the bottom rung of the Marvel ladder. His company is in shambles, thanks both to the Skrull invasion and Ezekiel Stane's terror attacks. He's been ousted as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and faced with the added indignity of having to hand the keys over to Norman Osborn. And if all that weren't bad enough, his Extremis powers have been eliminated, rendering his one functional suit near useless. It's enough to drive a man to drink.

 

And no, there's no indication that Fraction is going there, at least not yet. Still, the added layers of stress only serve to make Tony a more interesting character. Certainly he's cast in a more sympathetic light. Interestingly, Fraction paints Tony as a man who has lost almost everything yet is more free than he has been in years. No money, no powers, and no job mean no responsibility.

 

That's not the extent of the conflict either. As is made apparent by the cover and the title of this arc, Tony is about the become the most wanted fugitive in the world. This doesn't happen immediately. It's not merely an extension of Tony's perceived "crimes" during Secret Invasion. Tony is faced with a particularly large dilemma, and it becomes clear that the way he chooses to react to it will be what puts him in hot water. Fraction is putting Tony in a rather fascinating position in this arc, and the loss of his powers only make the dire straits more dire. I know some fans will be peeved at the loss of Extremis, but it's important to realize that the story is made better because of it. This story isn't another "Fatal Attractions," where the loss of powers is an end rather than the means.

 

So, all in all, the various strengths of this book remain - characterization, pacing, the whole shebang. And, if anything, Fraction's writing has only gotten stronger with these new story developments. Unfortunately, the one glaring flaw of the series is as bad as ever. I'm really not a fan of what Salvador Larroca and Frank D'Armata are doing with this series. As always, the majority of the problems center around figures, most notably facial work. Larroca rarely seems to put much detail into his figures. D'Armata attempts to compensate by using color to fill in details, but his color choices are questionable at best. On the whole, this book is only pleasing to look at during the larger action sequences when any and all human faces are covered up. Aside from a two-page spread in the opening pages, this issue offers little in that area. What it does offer is a lot of wonky facial work and truly bizarre skin textures.

 

These constant art problems continue to upset me. There's no reason Invincible Iron Man shouldn't be declared one of Marvel's best books. From a writing standpoint, it rivals anything Ed Brubaker is doing on Captain America. Artistically, though, each issue has been a major disappointment. Until Marvel addresses this problem, the series will have to settle for a second-class existence.

 

 

Final Rating: 8.1

 

 

 

 

Mighty Avengers #20 Review

A look back on the life and times of the Wasp.

by Bryan Joel

December 17, 2008 - I suspect many readers were disappointed when the death of founding Avengers the Wasp was delivered in a passive, glossed-over way in the pages of Secret Invasion #8. I know I was. The character gets a nice chunk of attention in Mighty Avengers #20, an issue that serves equally as Wasp's funeral and Hank Pym's reintroduction into the Marvel Universe.

 

The issue is much more Hank Pym's, of course. There's currently a big question mark hanging over the heads of the characters abducted by the Skrulls, and this issue is the first place we see one of them reintegrated into the contemporary Marvel Universe (a Captain America parallel highlighted not-so-subtly by a flashback to his unfreezing in the Silver Age). Funerals in the Marvel U. have a way of being, shall we say, a bit more eventful than real-world ones, and Janet Van Dyne's is no different. It's an emotionally-charged scene, and while it's certainly not a new idea, for some reason it struck me harder than the outbursts have before. All things considered, Yellowjacket is a much deeper and more likable character after Secret Invasion, and Mighty #20 demonstrates why.

 

While it's a W in the win column for Hank, Janet doesn't do as well. Bendis seems to have a bad reputation among longtime Avengers fans for his characterization of the Wasp, and in this issue I can see why. Her life (as documented in this issue) is bookended by the two clich?s that haunt her. In the Cap flashback, her reaction to the real Captain America being alive is to sew him a new costume. And in her final scene before her death, she's ragging on Hank about moving to England after the events of "Avengers: Disassembled." So the highlights of her life according to Bendis, then, are being a fashion-conscious ditz and the wife from hell. These concepts as opposed to founding the Avengers, or rising to the role of leader of the team. I'm not a giant Wasp fan by any means, but I can certainly see more than a few of them getting upset at this portrayal.

 

Mighty #20 boasts three artists: Lee Weeks turns in an early Hank/Jan flashback sequence, Jim Cheung handles a five-page sequence where Carol Danvers wordlessly catches Hank up on what's happened since he was abducted, and Carlo Pagulayan tackles everything in between. All three artists do a spectacular job, even if Pagulayan stumbles a bit in the closing pages. I had trouble telling characters apart, since they were all dressed alike and their faces are relatively the same. Cheung's sequence is especially of note this issue: it's a beautiful set of one-page pin-ups that masterfully detail both the events of House of M, Civil War, Planet Hulk, and Captain America #25, as well as Carol and Hank's emotional reaction to the events.

 

The thing about a book like Mighty #20 that makes it so hard to grade is that there are very clear, defined peaks and valleys. Bendis's handling of Hank Pym is as solid as they come, but to me his Janet portrayal is a little less than respectful. Perhaps it's being saved for the Requiem one-shot down the line, but it comes off as a misstep. Your enjoyment of the issue may depend on which character you find yourself caring about more.

 

 

Final Rating: 7.4

 

 

 

 

Punisher: War Zone #2 Review

Frank Castle's war continues with the classic team of Ennis and Dillon.

by Daniel Crown

December 17, 2008 - Punisher War Zone is a veritable freak show, but I'll be damned if it isn't entertaining. I'm pretty sure that James Madison had Garth Ennis in mind when he drafted the first amendment. Castrating monkeys, homicidal lesbians, amputee grandmas…these are the sorts of things that have Frederic Wertham turning over in his grave.

 

Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Punisher War Zone has been the return of Ennis' trademark wit. There are numerous examples within this second installment of the author's proclivity for funny segues, while his dialogue also returns to top-form and none of his excesses feel forced or at all out of place. While other recent Ennis books such as Crossed have cast violence to the top of the marquee, this book uses it to accentuate an inspired mystery, perfectly suited for a weekly release. Don't get me wrong. Obviously "The Resurrection of Ma Gnucci" is steeped in violence. Somebody inevitably eats it on any given page. Yet, largely in part to Ennis' basic framework of reciprocal brutishness, none of the chaos feels completely gratuitous.

 

As the Punisher investigates the sudden, apparently supernatural return of Ma Gnucci, Ennis continues to forge an eclectic cast of characters, once again highlighted by Charles Schitti, whose naivety plays a fitting contrast to Frank Castle's bloodlust. The bizarre relationship between these two men forms the heart of the story, providing the only recognizable break from the otherwise abundant depravity. Schitti is perhaps the only sympathetic character in the entire yarn and Ennis does a good job of using this status as the main source of tension.

 

Ennis' best work (outside of Preacher), serves as the comic book equivalent of a well-written exploitation film from the 1970's. War Zone seems to fall somewhere under these parameters. The book certainly portrays itself as a carnal sort of entertainment, but there is just enough depth here to keep things interesting from week to week. For anyone skeptical of a weekly Punisher comic, you can rest your concerns. This is easily as good as anything Ennis has written over the last few years.

 

 

Final Rating: 8.0

 

 

 

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 Review

Matt Fraction returns for another Asgardian adventure.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - When it comes to modern Thor comics, J. Michael Straczynski reigns supreme. But coming in a close second is Matt Fraction. Through his work on Secret Invasion: Thor and the three one-shot specials that ended with Thor: Man of War, Fraction has demonstrated his impressive handle on Thor and the many denizens of Asgard. Well, as luck would have it, 2008 is delivering one more Fraction-penned Thor comic for us all to enjoy. And enjoy you shall. I insist on it.

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 follows a similar formula to he previous Fraction one-shots, though with a slightly longer page count. The various stories aren't even separate tales so much as chapters of the same novel. All have to do with the fallen Asgardian warrior known as Skurge. Skurge is a former villain who sacrificed himself in a battle against the forces of Hel. His name is well-revered in Asgard now, but as Thor and his compatriots discover, their memories have inexplicably been changed. Thor, Balder, and Loki embark on a quest across the Nine Worlds to uncover the source of this tampering and restore the name of Skurge.

 

This is fodder for a rollicking adventure, and it's made all the more fun by the unlikely inclusion of Loki. This odd trio encounter numerous threats along the way, and Loki is often the source of some much-needed comedic relief. Fraction perfectly captures the voices of these three characters. I'm continually amazed at how well Fraction handles this corner of the Marvel Universe, given how far outside of it the rest of his work falls. The script here is far stronger than what we saw in SI: Thor, mainly because that series was mostly a collection of fight scenes. This issue isn't quite as strong as the three previous one-shots, though. I prefer Fraction's slightly more mythological take on Asgard to the continuity-laden events of this story, but my disappointment is merely relative. This is still one of the better Thor stories I've ever read.

 

Each of the numerous chapters in this issue is rendered by a different artist. For me, the highlight is Doug Braithwaite's work. Braithwaite also worked on SI: Thor, but his art is all the more impressive here thanks to the capable colors of Andy Troy. Every sequence is impressive in its own right, and the only one that didn't completely wow me was Mike Allred's segment. Allred is a bit of an odd departure considering his cartoonish, retro-flavored style. I understand that Fraction was going for a very Jack Kirby-esque feel in this segment. My problem is that it doesn't quite reach that level of visual flair. I've seen Allred do some admirable Kirby approximations in the past, so I'm a little bemused that it didn't quite work out here.

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 may not be quite the best effort from Fraction this year, but it's still a Hel of a read and a great way to cap off a year of terrific stories. I'm extremely interested to learn how Marvel plans to outdo their 2008 Thor output next year.

 

 

Final Rating: 9.0

 

 

 

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 Review

Matt Fraction returns for another Asgardian adventure.

by Jesse Schedeen

December 17, 2008 - When it comes to modern Thor comics, J. Michael Straczynski reigns supreme. But coming in a close second is Matt Fraction. Through his work on Secret Invasion: Thor and the three one-shot specials that ended with Thor: Man of War, Fraction has demonstrated his impressive handle on Thor and the many denizens of Asgard. Well, as luck would have it, 2008 is delivering one more Fraction-penned Thor comic for us all to enjoy. And enjoy you shall. I insist on it.

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 follows a similar formula to he previous Fraction one-shots, though with a slightly longer page count. The various stories aren't even separate tales so much as chapters of the same novel. All have to do with the fallen Asgardian warrior known as Skurge. Skurge is a former villain who sacrificed himself in a battle against the forces of Hel. His name is well-revered in Asgard now, but as Thor and his compatriots discover, their memories have inexplicably been changed. Thor, Balder, and Loki embark on a quest across the Nine Worlds to uncover the source of this tampering and restore the name of Skurge.

 

This is fodder for a rollicking adventure, and it's made all the more fun by the unlikely inclusion of Loki. This odd trio encounter numerous threats along the way, and Loki is often the source of some much-needed comedic relief. Fraction perfectly captures the voices of these three characters. I'm continually amazed at how well Fraction handles this corner of the Marvel Universe, given how far outside of it the rest of his work falls. The script here is far stronger than what we saw in SI: Thor, mainly because that series was mostly a collection of fight scenes. This issue isn't quite as strong as the three previous one-shots, though. I prefer Fraction's slightly more mythological take on Asgard to the continuity-laden events of this story, but my disappointment is merely relative. This is still one of the better Thor stories I've ever read.

 

Each of the numerous chapters in this issue is rendered by a different artist. For me, the highlight is Doug Braithwaite's work. Braithwaite also worked on SI: Thor, but his art is all the more impressive here thanks to the capable colors of Andy Troy. Every sequence is impressive in its own right, and the only one that didn't completely wow me was Mike Allred's segment. Allred is a bit of an odd departure considering his cartoonish, retro-flavored style. I understand that Fraction was going for a very Jack Kirby-esque feel in this segment. My problem is that it doesn't quite reach that level of visual flair. I've seen Allred do some admirable Kirby approximations in the past, so I'm a little bemused that it didn't quite work out here.

 

Thor God-Size Special #1 may not be quite the best effort from Fraction this year, but it's still a Hel of a read and a great way to cap off a year of terrific stories. I'm extremely interested to learn how Marvel plans to outdo their 2008 Thor output next year.

 

 

Final Rating: 8.5

 

 

 

 

Uncanny X-Men #505 Review

The mutants finally have to confront the truth of the Messiah massacre in Alaska.

by Bryan Joel

December 17, 2008 - Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men has been an odd book so far. In the past, I've blamed the unusual pacing and jumpiness. Six issues in, I'm starting to get used to the quirky plot pattern. I actually appreciate the slinkiness of the story threads, weaving in and out, continuing issue to issue. The blocky Whedonesque six-issue story arcs are a thing of the past, and Uncanny has a more organic and natural story progression because of it. It also helps that the title has moved away from big, dumb action movie stories and begun focusing more on character and plot.

 

Fraction's use of characters this issue is particularly enjoyable. On paper, this issue belongs to Emma Frost and Colossus, but Fraction masterfully bounces things off the entire X-tapestry to create cause and effect situations. For example, rather than have Emma suspect X-Force's existence from something "easy" like residual psychic hints, she is instead alerted by Pixie, who finds a bloody towel her new roommate X-23 used after showering. It's more complex, and takes more doing on Fraction's part, but it results in a better representation of a "flagship" title shared by a large group.

 

A plotline that's been simmering in the background for a while now is Angel and Beast's science team, and that gets a nice new addition to its roster this issue by way of an old Alpha Flight character. The idea of this team of scientists is exactly the kind of high concept ridiculousness that you'd expect out of Fraction at his most playful. It's turning out to be very entertaining, and it gets just enough panel time each issue to whet my appetite.

 

This is the second issue by Terry Dodson, and it's an unqualified improvement over the Greg Land ones. Yes, all their females have the unfortunate affliction of having the same face with varying skin tones and eye shapes dependent on race, but readers get a suitably regal Emma Frost, and Dodson seems to have some fun with Madison Jeffries's particular brand of talents.

 

Matt Fraction's Uncanny X-Men is starting to set into a rhythm and it seems like he's becoming more comfortable with the breadth of characters at his disposal. While it's certainly not the best X-Men I've ever read, it's still fun and upbeat in its own way, and that counts for something alongside moodier, brooding books like Astonishing X-Men and X-Force.

 

 

Final Rating: 8.1

 

 

 

 

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 Review

The march to the War of Kings fires up.

by Bryan Joel

December 17, 2008 - In case you haven't been following the mutant/Starjammer hybrid group including Havok, Polaris, and Rachel Grey in their ranks, things haven't exactly been going well for them. A few of their number are being held captive by Cyclops and Havok's little brother Vulcan, the villain who ousted Shi'ar queen Lilandra and took over the empire. The chips are down for these heroes, and that's where Kingbreaker #1 begins, continuing the long-term X-Men space drama plot.

 

It's been a winding road for Gabriel Summers. The character debuted in X-Men: Deadly Genesis and his story spilled into Ed Brubaker's Uncanny X-Men run before spinning off into its own series, X-Men: Emperor Vulcan. For the most part, he's achieved everything he's sought out to do, including massive planetary takeovers and whooping the only two heroes around who have access to the Phoenix Force. Kingbreaker #1 only continues that idea, detailing the dire straits these new Starjammers find themselves in. For all intents and purposes, this is a direct sequel to Emperor Vulcan, featuring Rachel and Lilandra seeking to free their comrades as well as take the Shi'ar throne back from Vulcan and Deathbird.

 

The problem with the issue is it only sets the stage with information we pretty much already knew. Aside from some decent Havok character moments, who here hasn't seen Vulcan be a despot, Deathbird be an evil lackey, or Lilandra be diplomatic and virtuous? Even the captivity and torture scenes were detailed in one of the X-Men: Divided We Stand books. The recap page Marvel has adopted in the past few years could have easily taken the place of this first issue, outside a handful of pages. What's here is done reasonably well, and artist Dustin Weaver does a fine job of rendering a perfectly nice house style comic, but I found myself a little bored for most of it. You'll have to forgive me if the grand reintroduction of Korvus after only nine months doesn't exactly thrill me.

 

The War Of Kings symbol on the cover of this issue reminds readers that Kingbreaker will lead directly into this plot thread's crossover with the Inhumans early next year, so I have hope that the series will actually develop some intrigue in the coming issues. Sadly this first issue isn't exactly the bombastic comeback this team might've thought they were putting out.

 

 

Final Rating: 6.2

 

 

 

 

X-Men Legacy #219 Review

Juggernaut crashes into Charles Xavier's life.

by Daniel Crown

December 17, 2008 - Ever since Mike Carey shifted X-Men into its current state, Legacy has been at its best when it focuses on introspective or analytical trips into the past. So as Carey takes an expedition into the history of Cain Marko, he also returns the book to the type of narrative that initially made the series such a breath of fresh air. Not only is Legacy #219 by far the best issue of the series to date, but it is also an undeniable credit to Carey's strengths, as he imbues the story with the sort of literary symbolism that has become increasingly rare within the mainstream confines of the superhero genre.

 

From a literary standpoint, Mike Carey's X-Men Legacy is by far the most intelligent X-Men title in recent memory. Entitling his story "Jagannatha", Carey playfully skips across the boundaries separating simple entertainment from metaphorical satire. As the author examines the true definition of the word "Juggernaut", he creates a strong corollary to Cain's relationship with Xavier, exploring feelings of responsibility and self-entitlement.

 

What makes the issue tick is its unbiased presentation. Both Xavier and Marko are portrayed as being muddled in a hoary state of morality; Charles believing the world revolves around his actions, while Cain continues to cling to an attitude steeped in revenge and resentfulness. Carey obviously put a lot of thought into this issue and it shows. He presents the story in a strong, cohesive narrative that never betrays its investigative nature.

 

I'm disappointed at the news that Legacy is about to come to an end. Ever since Grant Morrison's departure, this particular book had been mostly filler- a vehicle for the repetitive bore that has become the traditional action-oriented comic book. Carey's run, however, has at times flown in the face of the customary X-Men schematic, presenting the sort of smart, memorable tales that are usually reserved for stories outside of established canon. Carey is really on to something here and I hope that the series can maintain its intelligent approach even as it drops its new moniker and returns to more traditional trappings.

 

 

Final Rating: 8.8

[revi]

@khumpleetist:

 

Why not Magneto? Well, its because Magneto is not available (as stated by Marvel in the new Wizard).. Not available? Why, you ask? hehe.. Marvel is mum about the situation but if my gut feel comes true, I think there would be a major event in the X-Titles by the end of next year (and Magneto might just be involved in it).. Much like Messiah Complex.. Medyo isang taon ng walang major event ang X titles eh.. Atsaka nabanggit din sa Wizard na mawawala na yata ang XMen Legacy from circulation.. Gastos na naman ito pag nagkataon, bro..

 

As of date, I am not eyeing War Machine.. Unless na mag-cross-over at mag-laban sina Iron Man and War Machine.. haha.. Not really a fan of the character and I feel that Marvel just wants us to be milked again.. hehe..

 

Mukhang magkakaroon ng direct involvement ang Kingbreaker sa Inhumans mini series by mid year, bro.. Sa tingin ko hindi ang War of Kings ang MAJOR event sa Marvel, but it is the next event.. Kasi there is not clear cut love for the Marvel's cosmic characters like Black Bolt or Rocket Raccoon.. I still think something would happen in the X-books before 2009 ends..

 

But I will most probably get yung Inhumans na mini-series after Kingbreaker..

 

Vigilante? No idea, bro.. Battle of the Cowl? Will definitely get this.. :thumbsupsmiley: I am also not very keen on getting Azrael but there is news that it won't be Valley.. In anycase, mukhang kukunin ko pa din yung Azrael..

 

BTW, get the next Mighty Avengers issue.. A new team will be introduced there.. Might just be a major issue for the Dark Reign status quo..

Edited December 20, 2008 by revi

[khumpleetist]

Thanks for the info tungkol kay Magneto. Malamang nga na bago matapos ang 2009 eh may major event ang X-titles. I might get War Machine, tignan ko lang yung unang arc at sana magustuhan ko kasi malamang next year eh Ibahin ko na talaga yung mga titles ko. Definitely pass ako sa Kingbreaker. War Of Kings? Tignan natin kung pwede kong isingit. Kumuha ako ng Vigilante at sana eh magustuhan ko din. Gusto ko kasing subukan yung mga street level na heroes sa ngayon at pag nagustuhan ko eh tigil na 'ko sa mga flagship titles. Hindi si Jean Paul Valley ang Azrael??? Hmmmm? Pero curious pa din ako.

 

Bad trip kasi makacancel na yung New Exiles next year. :upside: 2 issues na lang at wala na. Sabagay, mababa talaga ang sales nito dahil mukhang ako lang umoorder sa CO pero sayang pa din kaya papalitan ko ito ng Punisher next year.

 

Mukhang delay nga ang comics at baka next year na natin makuha ang mga reservations for the next 2 weeks so Merry Christmas na lang muna sa 'yo at sa lahat ng andito at yung regalo ko sa 'yo eh asa PM. :evil: Hahahahaha!

 

 

 

 

Pull list ko this week:

 

 

BATMAN #683 (Last na muna 'to at balik na lang ako ulit pag si Gaiman na)

GHOST RIDER DANNY KETCH #3 (OF 5)

NEW AVENGERS #48

REIGN IN HELL #6

SECRET INVASION REQUIEM #1

VIGILANTE #1 (subukan ko lang muna 'to)

[revi]

^My pulls for this week:

 

Batman #683

Daredevil #114

Dark Tower: Treachery #4

DreadForce #0

Greatest Hits #4

New Avengers #48

Push #3

Spawn #187

Wonder Woman #27

SI: Requiem #1

[reachard]

Merry Xmas DC/Marvel/Etc Comics peeps

[mazinger]

merry xmas din sa inyong lahat ...more comics to you all next year. :thumbsupsmiley:

[nixs]

Happy holidays sa lahat ng mga regular dito.

 

Nag iikot ako kahapon sa greenhills and nagulat mas maluwag na yung area na bilihan ng mga laruan sa shoppesville. Mejo may kalungkutan ako nung tumingin ng mga action figure kasi malaki nagastos ko sa kasal ko a few weeks ago kaya namimili lang ako ng di kamahalan na action figure (kaso ala nakita na nasa 500p budget). Pati comics ko na-audit ni misis kaya down to 2 titles per month ako at wag na raw ako mag-collect ng mga crossover. hehehe.

[revi]

Pati comics ko na-audit ni misis kaya down to 2 titles per month ako at wag na raw ako mag-collect ng mga crossover. hehehe.

 

hehe.. Eh papaano kung yung 2 titles na kinokolekt mo ay nagkaroon ng cross-over.. I am sure misis has some sort of leeways naman when it comes to those events, bro.. haha..

 

Here are my pulls for this week:

 

Avengers/Invaders #7

Batman: Cacophony #2

Green Lantern #36

Justice Society of America #22

Captain America #45

Fantastic Four #562

Incognito #1

Kick Ass #5

Stand: Captain Trips #4

Wolverine #70

Superman #683

 

Tentative: Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2

 

As much as I would like to support Jay Anacleto's work, I am not too hot on these types of third person point-of-view stories (ala-the Frontline books).. So, I am having second thoughts.. I might just give this one up..

 

I am very much excited on Incognito and Kick Ass.. Can't wait for the first week of January to come.. :thumbsupsmiley: