Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Dec. 24, 2008 (On-Going Series)

Brave and the Bold #20

Part 2 of probably the best story so far to come out of this series. The story keeps moving and doesn’t give you a chance to be bored with it. The art is strong and clear, and the alien landscapes are beautiful. Does anyone actually understand what the Phantom Stranger can do? If so, could you please explain it to me, because I’ve got no clue. He can apparently be taken down by an alien plant, so he’s not all powerful. Is this character popular enough to be so mysterious? Can we get an origin story, and not some cheap cop-out like the Secret Origins issue where he’s given multiple origins.

Daredevil #114

So Black Tarantula and White Tiger have been killed and then resurrected as agents of the Hand. Not good at all for Matt. Plus, the thing with Dakota came back to bite him royally in the ass. Again, not good. Foggy’s right. Matt just needs to give the Donovan’s what they want and forget all about Milla. And Izo is the guy who taught Stick. I guess that’s why I made the connection last month. Yeah, we’ll go with that.

Gigantic #2

So the big robot thing that’s actually a human accidentally killed his niece when he appeared on Earth. That sucks. This is a better take on the Mojoverse than the Mojoverse is. The only problem I had was with the fluctuating size of Gigantic. When he appeared last issue he was as big as a building. By the end of this one he was laying on a couch. I hope that’s addressed.

Hulk #9

This comic doesn’t seem to have any substance to it. It seems like a way to showcase great artists (Ed McGuinnes? Art Adams? Frank Cho? Some damned fine artists) drawing the Hulk and various guest stars. And Loeb is tailoring each story to that artist’s forte. McGuinnes gets to draw massive characters, Adams gets to draw a lot of monsters, and Cho gets to draw a lot of ladies. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, but it just seems to be pandering. Loeb could at least be dropping hints as to Rulk’s identity (my money is still on Talbot) along the way. All that being said, it IS a pretty damn fine looking book, and worth the money for the art alone.

New Avengers #48

Nope, I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that Luke would go to Osborn and the Thunderbolts for help. Jessica, sure. She’s always been a little messed up. But not Luke. He has standards and won’t break them for anything, even if it’s about his daughter. Unless of course he’s going to use this as an opportunity to infiltrate Osborn’s inner circle. That I can almost buy. Otherwise, I enjoyed the rest of the book…well, except for the art. I’m not a big Tan fan. I’m hoping he’s not the regular artist. I miss Yu. I hope Cap stays on as a team member. We already know that Mockingbird either isn’t going to be on the team or is going to be a mole of some sort. Spidey and Wolvie together is always fun, and Hawkeye and Bucky should almost be like brothers, both learning from Cap. Fun times are in store for everyone.

New Warriors #19

I’m done with this series when this storyline is over. I’m not at all connected to any of the characters, and there’s just too much bitching and moaning. And apparently in the future the dead can be brought back to life with no consequences.

Nova #20

Now THAT’S the New Warriors I remember. I still don’t know how I’m going to like a whole corps of Novas. If this is going to turn out to be a team book, I don’t think I will like it. Too many people with the same powers. If Nova continues to fly solo, though, I don’t think I’d have any problem with it.

Skaar: Son of Hulk #6

So it seems as if the legends of the Sakaarson were made up. That’s gonna piss some people off. Of the three possible Sakaarson’s I recognized Nova and the Silver Surfer. Was the other one an Eternal? The Death’s Head Guards look somewhat Phalanxish, but I’ll have to take a look at some Nova back issues to see how much they resemble Minion. If they are Minion, that’ll give me a headache what with the timeline confusion. Next issue should be good: Silver Surfer vs. Skaar.

Thor #12

This was a clever look at Loki’s past. All of the scenes we saw have been seen since this book started, either IN the book or in the specials by Matt Fraction. It pretty much ruins any hope of ever having Loki as a sympathetic villain, though, since it’s his hand behind his past that sets him up as a villain. And for a moment, there, I half expected Loki and Hela to start going at it. That sure would have messed up Sif if she’s able to live again once Loki isn’t wearing her form.

Ultimate Spider-Man #129

If I’m remembering this correctly, was Spider-Girl a female clone of Peter? Did I get that right? Having it be Gwen would make sense, what with the symbiote’s ability to change just about anything having to do with her appearance, but I don’t think the ever met the Torch. Can May be arrested like that, or can she be asked (nicely) to come down to the station to answer some questions? And all this is going to be interrupted by a giant tidal wave. Nice going Magneto.

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Dec. 3, 2008 (One-Shots)

Hulk Family: Green Genes #1

I had no idea that Hulk had a daughter with Thundra and Monica Rappaccini (I don’t even know who that is). The She-Hulk story was okay. The art smacked of the “Image style” of yesteryear. I find it hard to believe that Shulkie wouldn’t have had a few questions for this Hulk, regardless of if she thought he was her cousin or not. The Skaar story didn’t do anything for me that the actual series isn’t already doing. Besides introducing me to Hulk’s “daughter,” this story gave me previously unknown information about Thundra’s world. I didn’t realize she was from an alternate reality…or is it just another planet? I want to see more of the Scorpion and her search for the truth about Banner. I wouldn’t mind this thread being picked up in the Hulk book.

Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Nov. 26, 2008 (Regular Series)

Blue Beetle #33

“Two words: armored codpiece.”

Well, the issue fooled me just as well as it did everyone else. Sometimes it’s refreshing to see the villain gloat and reveal his plans AFTER he’s already accomplished them. Of course, it then allows him to kill the star of the book, so there’s that. I wonder if the scarab can bring its host back from the dead? I guess we’ll find out next issue.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #19

“I hope you die first. With the most wounds.”

Will we ever find out why Willow dragged Buffy to the future? Was it really an elaborate suicide plan, or just a gimmick to get Buffy and Fray together? I thoroughly enjoyed the back-home plot more than Buffy’s. I say give us more of the support and less of the main event.

Captain America #44

If we’re supposed to know who the mystery villain who is sort of revealed at the end is, I’m drawing a blank. I didn’t think there was that much meat to this issue. Cap is intentionally led to Batroc’s next heist, where he gets a beating from said mystery villain. We also get a view at a scene from Bucky’s Winter Soldier days. But the story doesn’t really progress because we don’t learn anything. And I still can’t take Batroc seriously.

Daredevil #113

I like it when writers have to get creative with new villains in order to get around our hero’s powers. Lady Bullseye with her faint scent and calm heartbeat is a nice touch. I don’t see her as a big threat, but I think she’ll make things interesting. I’m also liking Master Izo, but he’s coming off like Stick 2.0, or I guess that would be Stick: The Prequel…or even the Hard Master from G.I. Joe. The last scene of the book caught me fully off-guard. I wasn’t all that familiar with the character, only reading her appearances in DD and not her mini, but it was still pretty shocking.

Guardians of the Galaxy #7

I wasn’t a fan of the original series, but I really like this group. And I’m oddly curious as to what Vance is doing here. We learned why Starhawk is here. Are the two connected? I’m not too interested in Adam’s search for the truth about the search, but Drax’s search for Cammi has my interest. I really enjoyed his mini-series, and I can’t remember what happened to her during Annihilation. Speaking of Annihilation, I seem to remember Blastaar on the side of the angels during that tiny skirmish, which didn’t ring true to me then, but it looks like he’s not all that of a nice guy anymore.

Hulk #8

I still have a problem with Bruce doing a quick switch between the Hulks. I realize that they’re representations of different aspects of his personality, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t been able to do this before. And since when have there been so many Wendigos? ALL of those people are cannibals? That’s a lot of the long pig. As for the second part of the story, I just don’t like the Red Hulk (and I refuse to call him his other name). And after enraging him even more, some additional big-name female superheroes show up. Tigra? Really? What can she do against the Hulk?

The Incredible Hercules #123

I’m loving the fact that Pak is not sacrificing Hercules’ mythological backround in exchange for more human stories. He’s a demigod, so embrace it rather than shy away from it. That’s what Pak has done, and unless he’s just THAT creative, it looks like he’s done his homework. I felt sorry for Delphine and Amadeus; they make a cute couple. And I hope the goings on with the Olympus Group will be an ongoing subplot rather than the next storyline. They look like they should be very menacing.

New Warriors #18

Well, the Iron Man/Night Thrasher switcheroo was a bit of a surprise, as was who was in the Iron Man armor. So the question now is how all this happened.

Nova #19

Continuity cop! Continuity cop! Rich’s brother was kidnapped by a foe of the original New Warriors and had his finger cut off. When he’s talking with Darkhawk in this issue, he clearly has all of his fingers. Boom! Head shot! One thing I hope doesn’t happen is that this becomes Marvel’s equivalent of the Green Lantern Corps. I know the power set is different, but the concept is similar. Well, I guess it’s not all that original of a concept to begin with, but that is the first thing I thought of at the beginning of the issue. I hope we’ll continue to see Darkhawk, and having two Nova centurions in the Rider family should be interesting.

Skaar: Son of Hulk #5

I thought this was a mini, but it looks like it’s an ongoing series. That’s fine with me. Planet Hulk was some of the best Hulk stories I’ve ever read. I think it’s great that Greg Pak can do a series like this and also do The Incredible Hercules, which is light and humorous and totally different. I’m wondering if this will eventually lead to Skaar taking a trip to Earth to find and confront the Hulk. Eh, he doesn’t seem that proactive. He actually seems like a smarter version of the early Hulk, who just wanted to be left alone. If he gets the Old Power, though, he will be virtually unstoppable.

Superman #682

I’m really enjoying this New Krypton storyline. What the Kryptonians did in this issue made perfect sense, and the ones who killed the cops looked like they wore the garb of the more militant Kryptonians, so I’d guess they might have even enjoyed it. I have no idea who Atlas is, so I should probably do some research on him. Here’s a thought: with 100,000 Supermen and women on the planet, I would think that at least some of them would try and be heroes of other cities, eventually coming into conflict with heroes that might have already staked their claim there.

Teen Titans #65

Mmm, decent ending to a just okay story. Wonder Girl actually looks like a Wonder Girl now, and she’s no longer beholden to Ares or Zeus, so that’s good. I’ll be looking forward to next month’s recruitment drive, though. I’m just not getting the team vibe from this group. I guess that’s natural, though, since Robin and Wonder Girl are the only ones left from the beginning.

Trinity #26

Ah, now here’s a great catch for the continuity cops, but it’s a tip of the hat, not a wag of the finger. Busiek has apparently done his Opal City homework because he uses Charity’s last name, O’Dare. Charity and Mason O’Dare fell in love during James Robinson’s Starman series, and I remember him being shot by Spider right before the series ended, but I’m guessing he didn’t die (I’m rereading the series through the Omnibus, but there’s only one out so it will take me a while to get to the end). Good for you, Mr. Busiek. I thought having the two stories end at the same spot was a nice touch. I’m not sick of Tarot anymore, so that’s a plus, but I still want to see more of Opal’s residents. And Konvict seems like a decent fellow. I see Morgaine and Enigma’s plans failing because of him.

Ultimate Spider-Man #128

This is hands down my favorite book each month. And I think it helps that Bendis has been penning the thing since issue #1. But one thing I really like about it is that it seems a bit more real. I would think it would be difficult for Peter to keep his double identity a secret, especially from those closest to him. And I like the fact that, at least by the government, he’s not a wanted fugitive. The Ultimates know who he is and greatly respect him because of all he’s done. Tony stepping up for him in this issue against Carol Danvers was a good moment. I’m only slightly on the fence regarding Gwen, but I’m leading more toward the good side, if only because it’s known that she’s a clone, or genetic duplicate, or whatever. I like the full disclosure aspect. Next month we get Spidey’s part in Ultimatum. I hope having this big crossover doesn’t ruin the flow of the book.

Ultimate X-Men #98

Well, I guess a bit of this issue was predictable in the wake of the Ultimatum Wave. There were bound to be retaliations against the X-Men by frightened humans, but I never expected it to come in the form of humans with Sentinel armor on. Were there human-sized Sentinels? I can’t remember. I’m wondering if Dazzler and Nightcrawler are actually dead, Kurt in particular. He can teleport, after all. Rogue hooking up with Alpha Flight was unexpected, and I wonder what will happen to Syndicate now that he’s missing a head?

Walking Dead #55

We’ve taken one step forward, yet fell two back. We’re sticking with Rick being crazy, and Army-guy is a paranoid dick. And the suicide didn’t sit well with me. Not because there WAS a suicide, just because I don’t think we got into the character’s mindset enough to know if that’s something she’d actually do. And it seems like Kirkman kills people just to kill them. We get the shock, but no follow through.

X-Force #9

Another good issue, and I hope Domino ends up staying around. I think she would fit in well with the team, and maybe even lighten the atmosphere a bit. I like that the characters have a bit of an objection to what they’re doing, even if they know what they’re doing is “necessary.” It’s also nice to see links to the past while still moving forward: Sinister’s clones, Hodge’s smiley robots, etc. Plus, we’re going to get a bit of a crossover with Ghost Rider. Nice stuff all around.