Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Dec. 17, 2008 (On-Going Series)

Amazing Spider-Man #581

All right, this is more like it. I’ve been waiting for this story for quite some time. I can’t say that I’m please with Harry’s return or how he was brought back, but I’m extremely happy it was explained, and I’m even happier that, after being told time and time again that everything was still in continuity after Brand New Day, we’re shown proof. Spectacular Spider-Man #200, where Harry “died”? Still good. Normie’s hate for Spider-Man? Still good. Hell, Normie himself? Still good. I didn’t know what was going on with Harry’s family since he’s been written as a younger character, but the marriage, birth of his son, and his death are all still cannon. Even Charlie Weiderman, from Stracyznki’s run, was mentioned. Out of everything that was brought up with BND, the Harry situation was the one thing I really wanted answered, and here we go. Good job Mr. Slott.

Avengers: The Initiative #19

A story well-told involving a lot of characters in a lot of battles during the invasion. There’s death (Spinner, possibly Shooting Star, Whiz Kid and Crusader), new-found heroism (3-D Man and Crusader), and an invasion foiled. I was taken aback by the suddenness of Crusader’s death. It made sense, though, and with his wish we might not have heard the last of Crusader. The future of the Initiative will be very interesting indeed with Norman Osborn now running the show. And what of the Negative Zone prison? What’ll happen with that?

Deadpool #5

This is nothing but ridiculous fun. I liked how Way went non-linear for the story; it was very effective. And Deadpool ended up double-crossing EVERYBODY in the end. And he still didn’t get paid. What a poor, poor mercenary. And it doesn’t look like he’ll be making any money next issue when he goes up against Tiger Shark.

Doktor Sleepless #10

That was more like it. I actually understood what was going on in this issue. Of course, the good Doktor wasn’t in it at all, so that might account for some of the understanding. Basically, the police commissioner has just sanctioned the killing of Sleepless, and the cop who found out who the killer is gets to kill HIM after everything is all said and done. Pretty straight-forward issue, actually. Too bad they’re not all like that.

Angel: After the Fall #15

This is my favorite issue of the series so far. This is the only issue I’ve read where I could actually hear the voices of the characters as I read it. That means the writing was spot on. I could hear a smirk in everything Spike said. I could hear Wesley’s Britishness. Gunn, Angel, Conner, they were all there. After a questionable start to the series, I’m really liking where it is, and I hope I’m going to like where it’s going. I don’t know if I’m all that sad about Conner. I really didn’t like him before Season 5, and likeable Conner wasn’t around enough. I enjoyed him in this comic, though, so I guess he will be missed. I wish they’d find a way to bring Fred back, but I guess that’s over and done with. I DO miss her.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #20

Eh, it was a nice, campy little throw-back to the first few seasons of the show, but that’s it. Just a nice, quick little rest until we get back into the thick of it…I hope. I’ve never really liked any cartoon adaptions or cartoon-like comics. [sarcasm] I’m way too old for that. [/sarcasm] I’ll be happy next month when we’re all back to normal.

Ex Machina #40

Oh, Christ, that was a classic issue. One of the best of the series, actually, and that’s saying a lot. Vaughan wrote himself and Harris into the story. Mayor Hundred wanted to do his memoirs as a comic book, and they were interviewing for the gig. By all accounts, both artist and writer scored high marks in their respective interviews, but who should get the job? Garth Ennis and Jim Lee. And the last two pages are even by the duo. Frickin’ classic. Vaughan at one point makes reference to Grant Morrison and his meta approach to comics, and this was definitely different from that. As much as I loved the end of Morrison’s Animal Man run, it was like he was stroking himself for all the world to see. Vaughan and Harris’ appearance in this issue wasn’t like that at all. It was very natural. And again, the ending was classic. Kudos, gentlemen.

Fables #79

The residents of Fabletown don’t get minor disturbances, do they? They also don’t get a month or two to rest their bones. They’re just done with the war, and now something possibly worse than the Adversary is breaking down all of their binding enchantments, which results in all of the Fable building collapsing. I’m not all that thrilled with the Mowgli back-up, but I have faith that I’ll end up loving it. I do like the robotic tiger and the drunk monkey. That’s funny.

Fallen Angel #32

I hear this book is ending next issue to be restarted in a couple of months. I don’t understand that. I know #1 issues sell better, but I think this breaks up the flow of the work…unless that’s what David is going for, then okay. This was a decent penultimate issue. The gang stops fighting with each other and get back to Bette Noir with the sword that can kill Moloch. Too bad he breaks it. And I assume that was God that showed up in tennis garb. We’ve got angels and demons running around, I guess it was inevitable that God would show up.

Greatest American Hero #1

Nostalgia can be cruel sometimes. I remember watching this on TV and I have fond memories of it. This issue though was, well, it wasn’t horrible, but there was nothing there to keep me coming back.

Invincible Iron Man #8

Have I mentioned how much I love this book? I like it when smart characters can just be smart without having to be dumbed down for the masses. This is really the first glimpse we’re getting of Osborn running the show, and yay for Tony for sticking it to him just a little bit. I really, really think this Dark Reign era of Marvel is going to make for some great stories.

Mighty Avengers #20

This was the Wasp’s funeral, and our reintroduction to Hank Pym. I thought his outburst at Tony was totally justified, and I’d like to see where he and Thor went. Knowing Thor, I’m sure it was a place to either drink or fight or maybe both. I do believe Osborn is going to be a lot of appearances this year. I’ve got a question, though. Is Mighty Avengers over? Will Dark Avengers replace it or just supplement it?

Squadron Supreme #6

I’d probably like this book a little more if the artwork didn’t distract me so much. It’s hideous. That and all of the regular 616 analogues are pretty redundant. I mean, that’s what the Ultimate universe is for. Hell, Fury is even from that universe. At least at the end we got an appearance from Superman and Green Lantern, I’m sorry, I mean Hyperion and Dr. Spectrum. Are we building up to a battle between the Squadron, who have yet to show up in their own title, and Fury’s new S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Thunderbolts #127

This was an excellent issue that let all the really bad baddies have their day. I was almost rooting for them to kill Songbird. This title is going to be the one to watch, I think, now that Norman is running things. I’m guessing these guys are going to be his go-to, behind-the-scenes strike team. I’m also anxious to see where Songbird is going to end up. Dark Reign just started and it already rocks.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #59

Well, Sue is back, so that’s good. But apparently Reed infected her with some nanobots, so that’s not good. And the duo, instead of going after Reed, is going to look for Johnny. I can’t say that I blame them. Infecting them (assuming he did that to more than just Sue) was a pretty dick move.

Walking Dead #56

I think I’m just about done with zombies. I AM interested in seeing what Washington D.C. is like, but I think I’m going to put this book aside for a few months and see if it comes back any fresher. Right now it’s just the same old same old. Group of people traveling, tensions running high, that sort of thing. Maybe things will be different once they make it to a big city.

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Nov. 19, 2008 (Regular Series)

Amazing Spider-Man #578

So, it’s Mark Waid’s first ASM issue. Not bad, I guess. We got some of the Master Planner feel without the heart. It was good to see the Shocker, a villain we haven’t seen in a while, but he was as much of a joke here as he’s ever been. The art by Marcos Martin was pretty decent. There was definitely a fluid, limber feel to Peter and Spider-Man, and it seemed natural. When McFarlane was drawing Spidey, the contorted poses he’d put our hero through seemed more painful than limber. Martin’s art worked well. And at the end Waid throws us a good cliffhanger. Who knew JJJ still had a parent who was alive?

Angel: After the Fall #14

I’m kind of surprised that L.A. has stayed occupied by Hell for so long. Ditto with Angel and his humanity. I thought the way he was saved this issue was pretty cheap, though. I think my favorite part was the conversation between Illyria and Wesley. As much as I liked Fred, I’m glad they didn’t bring her back. It would have kind of invalidated her death, which was a highlight of the last season. Of course, now she’s reverted to her true form, and I kinda hope she’s killed after this. If not, then what’s to stop the good guys from using her as an out to any difficult situation? So the only logical conclusions are to kill her or to severely deplete her powers. I like her as a character, but I think keeping her around if she can go full god at will would just lead to sloppy writing.

Brave and the Bold #19

I was really impressed with this issue, more so than I have been with any of the other 18 issues so far. It starts off with the Phantom Stranger and Green Lantern already together, so we don’t have to wade through any contrived method of getting the two together. A special girl who is channeling alien doomsday prophecies lead the duo to Oa and then to a pleasure planet that is supposed to be destroyed soon, where the duo meets up with another Lantern. The whole book worked really well. The interactions between the characters and everyone’s motivations rang true. And the art by Doug Braithwaite was quite good.

Deadpool #4

Double-cross seems to be the tagline for this series. I’m enjoying the banter between the multiple personalities, and the little glimpses into Deadpool’s maniacal mind by showing us what he sees. Other than that, it was a pretty average issue.

Ex Machina #39

I am just a little disappointed as to how Trouble was taken down. All this build up for a kiss and being knocked out with one punch. I almost have to believe that this just sets up a future storyline. She was just a crazy stalker-fan of The Great Machine? If it’s not setting up a future storyline, it leaves me very cold. And Kremlin is getting on my nerves. Let’s get his story going.

Fantastic Four #561

Well, this was a very logical solution, but it leads to questions. Why didn’t future Sue do this in the first place? She obviously already went through this, as evidenced by Reed injecting present Sue with a tracking device that immediately showed up in future Sue and future Sue knowing what was going to happen with Doom. But those flaws are easy to forgive. It was still entertaining, and the art by Bryan Hitch is always spectacular.

Iron Man #35

So wait, this whole thing was a set up for a new War Machine series? I hate it when that happens. I didn’t even think this was that great of a story. I’ll be looking forward to the return of Tony next month, even though I’m enjoying the Invincible Iron Man more than this series. I’m hoping this book will focus on rebuilding Shield after the Skrull invasion.

Squadron Supreme #5

I liked Straczynski’s take on the Squadron, but I’m not all that into where Chaykin is taking the story. First off, I was always under the impression that the Squadron members were analogs of DC characters, but clearly with this book we’re already seeing Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Thor and the Hulk. I also don’t like the Ultimate Nick Fury over here. He needs to be stirring up shit in his own universe. With the mention of Nighthawk and the return (I don’t remember her, I’ll have to check my back issues) of Inertia, are we going to see a big battle between the original Squadron members and Fury’s new Shield?

Supergirl #35

I’m picking this up for two reasons: the Alex Ross cover and the New Krypton crossover. I’ve heard nothing but bad reviews about this series since it started, so let’s see. Well, I actually liked it. It looks like Sterling Gates used Kryptonite poisoning to explain all of Supergirl’s erratic behavior that made her so unlikable as a character. So now she has all of her memories back, and it looks like there’s either a new Supergirl in town or a Superwoman. I guess we’ll learn more in next week’s Superman.

Thunderbolts #126

What a great start for the new creative team, and it’s a logical one, too. Norman has effectively disbanded the T-bolts and behind the scenes he’s got the crazier members dispatching the saner ones. And so far it’s working. It’s only a two-issue storyline, so it looks like we won’t have to wait long to see if this is actually going to happen.

Trinity #25

I know it’s a pipe dream, but I’d really like to see Jack Knight show up. Tarot just showed up in Opal and met Charity, but Jack’s not even there anymore. I’d settle for a Shade appearance, though. I have to agree with Vibe. If the JSI were there as friendlies, why break through the walls? The bulk of the issue was two teams working through their differences for a common cause. We’ve seen it before, we’ll see it again, but I guess this is something we had to go through. Tarot, whom I thought was as boring as Hell in the beginning, was the interesting part of this story.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #58

Following up immediately after the events of Ultimatum #1, this was a very exceptional issue. While Ben does what he can (which isn’t much) to help Sue, we get glimpses into his past with Reed, which explain why they’re such good friends. Sue and Johnny’s dad is apparently dead, and as the buffer between the team and General Ross, that should have a great impact on the future of the kids. Ben ends up heading underground to bring in the Mole Man to help with Sue’s condition. The Sue stuff wasn’t all that great. Her mom, who either wasn’t told about her husband (ex?) or just didn’t care, is brought in to help and is pretty much useless. The gems are the flashbacks of Reed and Ben. Ben isn’t using Reed to get out of doing homework, and Reed isn’t using Ben to protect him from bullies. These two kids are best friends, plain and simple.

Young X-Men #8

The banter between Santo and Victor was great. The super-powered tattoo artist is a good idea. It takes DC’s Tattooed Man to a new level. Almost a year into this book and it’s holding strong. I think it’s funny that I’m not even trying to get into the two main X-books (Uncanny and Legacy), but I’m loving this book and Astonishing.

Comic Book reviews for the week of Sept. 17, 2008

Cream of the Crop

All-Star Superman #12

I don’t think I’m the only person who doesn’t always get Grant Morrison. But I still buy just about everything he writes, because when I DO get it, I always enjoy it. I enjoyed this series for the most part. I don’t think I’m enough of a Superman fan to get what Morrison was trying to tell us. I realize that there was some grand point to the series, but it was lost on me. Now, just as a Superman story, it was great. Each issue was fun, and they showed why Superman is widely considered the greatest hero. In this final issue, Superman comes back from death, defeats a super-powered Lex Luthor, and reignites the sun. All in a day’s work, right? Something else I enjoyed was Frank Quitely’s art. It’s a conundrum, really. His work isn’t pretty. Everybody looks lumpy and the women are not attractive, but somehow it works and looks great. I’m not sad that the series is over. It had an erratic release schedule, and Morrison was able to tell a complete story, so nothing else is needed. All that’s left to wonder about is the sequel. I’m sure there will be one, so all that’s left to wonder is will it be Morrison and Quitely again following up on that last page, or will it be someone else telling their own out-of-continuity story?

Amazing Spider-Man #572

Dan Slott is an excellent Spider-Man writer. I think I need to go back and read his Thing and She-Hulk books. I think he’s really captured everybody in Spider-Man’s world. I like Norman Osborn as sort of a psychopathic Lex Luthor type character. I’m liking Anti-Venom, and I’m looking forward to finding out exactly what’s going on with him. I like Mac Gargan as Venom more than I liked him as the Scorpion. He was always just some loser in a suit. I’m glad Norman was able to get the symbiote healed, but I’m not all that crazy about the Venom/Scorpion hybrid. I guess I’ll have to wait until the next issue before I really decide if I like him or not. There’s nothing new I can say about JR Jr.’s art, so we’ll just leave it at “Me likey.”

Captain Britain and MI 13 #5

I loved the introductory storyline for this series, which I had thought was only going to be a mini-series that tied into the Secret Invasion. I’ve not read much of Pete Wisdom. I stopped reading Excalibur before Ellis took over and made him into the character he is today. I read Pryde and Wisdom years ago, and I just recently read the Wisdom mini and really enjoyed it. Paul Cornell has really made me care about these characters that I new little to nothing about. I felt Captain Britain’s sacrifice and the death of Skrull John, and I cheered for Faiza when she pulled out Excalibur and for all of England when Captain Britain returned. This issue is a jumping-on point for those who didn’t pick up the first four but heard the good buzz. It re-introduces us to this new team and brings in a surprise (well, not if you look at the cover), somewhat odd member, Blade. Kind of risky with a vampire on the team, no? I guess we’ll see what happens with that next issue. I also really enjoyed the scenes with Dane and Faiza at Faiza’s parents’ house. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. It’s always exciting when you end up enjoying something that you’re not expecting.

Iron Man #33

‘Bout damn time, although I expected this story to happen in Avengers: The Initiative, where War Machine is a main character. But this is okay. This issue follows on the heels of Secret Invasion #1 and a recent issue of A:TI. The Skrulls have just disabled all Stark Tech, and Rhodey gets a message from Tony that sends him to a satellite. I’m not too big (no pun intended) on the big mecha War Machine, but we really do see War Machine live up to his name. Christos Gage delivers a great story, and it’s good to see Sean Chen on an Iron Man title again, even though we didn’t see much of Iron Man in the issue.

Mighty Avengers #18

Once again, it’s an Avengers book with no Avengers in sight. But that’s okay. This issue gives us a quick look into how Nick Fury trained his Secret Warriors, including lying, injecting them with explosive tracking chips, kicking the crap out of the, kidnapping them, and torturing them. What a great guy! He then makes them kidnap Maria Hill, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., telling them she’s a Skrull…which is another lie. It’s all a test for something bigger, which just happens to be the Skrull Invasion that starts on the final page. I’ve always known Fury was a badass, but I’ve never known him to be such a devious hardass. I guess have to kill your lover who is in fact a shape-changing alien will do that to a person. I’m loving this event, and I’m looking forward to some more of Bendis’ non-Avengers goodness in this Avengers title.

Trinity #16

After a somewhat slow start, this book is really starting to pick up. I’m glad we didn’t have to wait until the end of the series for the Trinity to battle their opposites. The blending of the personalities is a good idea, and I like how they’re using what was supposed to be a hindrance into a strength. It’s why these three heroes ARE the trinity. They can turn weaknesses into strengths and inspire others to do so. I’ve liked Mark Bagley’s work since I picked up the first issue of New Warriors on a spinner rack almost two decades ago. I was disappointed when he left the title, but thrilled when he showed up on Amazing Spider-Man, a title I was already reading. I didn’t read Thunderbolts, but I’ve been reading Ultimate Spider-Man since the beginning, and his run with Bendis is legendary. It’s nice to see him branching out to DC now, and I think he’s finally getting the hang of the characters...which is good since he’s drawing just about all of their heroes in these last two issues!

Young X-Men #6

As with the new X-Force book, I figured I’d start back into the X-world after the current calamity with some brand new books rather than jumping right into Uncanny X-Men or X-Men: Legacy. I’ve been very pleased with this book. The only character on this new team that I was even remotely familiar with was Dust since I read all of Morrison’s stint on New X-Men. But I didn’t feel knowing the team members intimately was all that important, and I was pretty much right. The first story arc had some double crossings in it and some good (if not a bit one-sided) battles with the original Young X-Men, the first group of New Mutants. When all was said and done, we had a traitor revealed, the villain revealed, and a team member dead. This issue was fallout from that, and it worked well. Now we’re getting the official formation of the team, and we’re seeing a lot of emotion and angst. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this will all play out.

Leftovers

Brave and the Bold #17

Okay, I don’t like Supergirl, or at least this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the previous incarnation written by Peter David. She was just so…pissy. Asking for help and then not really doing her best to use it. Snapping at the people attempting to help her. If I were Raven I would have swept her up in that cloak and left her in Azarath. Marv Wolfman did a good job with the story, and if I’m correct in my assumption as to who Jon’s father is, he pulled out a relatively obscure character from a little more than a decade ago. I didn’t read much of him when he was around, but I’ve got the gist of what happened with him. I’m not the biggest fan of Phil Winslade. He’s a very adequate artist, but it’s just not my thing.

DC Universe: Decisions #1

Hmm, not a bad issue, but I’m a little scared that it’ll get preachy, especially with Judd Winnick being one of the writers. He’s a good writer, as is his partner on this book Bill Willingham (Fables), but he’s been known to promote causes in the books he’s been writing. I’m not into politics in the real world, so unless we’re reading about a major character running for office (Lex Luthor for President! Again!), I may end up glossing over the actual political stuff in the series. I’ll be with the book for the detective work, and the obvious conflict that Green Arrow’s decision will create. As for the art, I’ve like Rick Leonardi’s work for some time now. Even after 20 years, his style is still very recognizable, but it’s cleaner. He’s a solid artist that always delivers a quality product.

Gravel #5

When Ellis wrote stories about Gravel, the weird shit he put on the page was sick yet compelling. I think Mike Wolfer is capturing the essence of Gravel, but it’s just not up to par with Ellis. I’m still enjoying the story, though, and I like the idea of a combat magician. It’s in this issue that we see that Gravel doesn’t win all the time. I mean, it’s his book, so I’m sure he’ll come through eventually, if not next issue, but he can still be outsmarted.

Greatest Hits #1

This book almost made it into the Cream of the Crop. I like behind-the-scene stories, but I like it interspersed with at least a bit of action, especially if we’re jumping into a story about a brand new team. I feel like I should know more about these guys than I do. But it was still a very solid story by David Tischman, and Glen Fabry’s art is almost always nice to look at.

Incredible Hercules #121

I thought this was the weakest issue of the series so far. Not bad, just a weaker issue in a run that’s been pretty darn good. There just wasn’t enough Amadeus or Hercules and too much set up for this new storyline. When we DID see the duo, it was really good. I liked the interaction between Herc and Namora, and Amadeus being a typical horny teenager was pretty darn good. Good, but not great.

Squadron Supreme #3

It’s just not the same without JMS, and it’s not the same without the MAX label. It’s still a very readable comic, but it’s not on the same level as when it began. I want the original Squadron to return, and I want Fury sent back to the Ultimate universe. I’m wondering if Ultimatum will deal with this at all. And what’s with the analogues to the regular Marvel Universe? We’ve seen a Spider-Man (woman), a Captain America and an Iron Man. Hmm, since the original Squadron Supreme members are analogues of the Justice League, maybe this is a sneaky way to have a Marvel vs. DC non-crossover.

Compost

Age of the Sentry #1

I liked this book…when Alan Moore did it with Supreme. This really felt like a DC book from the ‘60s. I like the Sentry as a schizophrenic hero who is also his own arch enemy. But I can do without these campy throw-back stories. No thank you, sir.

Walking Dead #52

I keep reading this because the beginning of this series was so good, and I keep waiting for it to get that good again, but it just stalled a handful of issues ago. It seems like we’re just going over things that have been done before.