Comic Book Reviews for the Week of Dec. 24, 2008 (Limited Series)

Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch #3

So Danny is a Ghost Rider again, but he’s not at full power. And I know I said I didn’t like the idea of a Spawn-like Ghost Rider, but I’m not minding it so much now that it’s been explained. Having GR be an instrument of Heaven makes his penance stare make more sense. I wouldn’t think Hell would care all that much about penance.

Greatest Hits #4

If I had the time and inclination, I’d take a look back at Vertigo and see how many writers and artists have been British and how many haven’t. I’m betting you’re looking at at least 65% British. Not a gripe, just an observation. I wouldn’t mind seeing this continued as a regular series if that were possible. The story we’re getting is very interesting, and we’re finally going to figure out what the mystery behind the Mates is. Great art and rock-solid story telling always make for a great comic.

Punisher: War Zone #3

Y’know, for the past two issue I’ve been saying that this book is a direct pick-up from Ennis and Dillon’s last Punisher mini, but it really isn’t. I had been waiting for the humor to come back, but it hasn’t, and I’m pretty positive that it won’t. Garth is taking the series a bit more serious, and that’s not a bad thing. While I’ve enjoyed almost all of his work that I’ve read, I think his best stuff has been the serious stuff. This book definitely has the feel of the old series, it’s just more bitter than humorous.

Rann-Thanagar Holy War #8

The last issue goes out with a bang. The heroes destroyed Rann after teleporting the population to Throneworld. A people who are now believed to be dead are living on a planet whose population was killed. Fitting. Bizarro is home, which makes me wonder how he appeared in one of the Superman titles in the last month or so. I was pretty ambivalent about this mini, but seeing Synar’s new form made me think there’s a good story waiting for the character.

Reign in Hell #6

I don’t know a whole helluva lot about the DCU spiritual stuff, so I don’t know if powerful demons can actually be killed, but it sure looks like Neron is dead. That leaves Blaze and Satanus as the new rulers of Hell rather than just Purgatory. I have no idea how that will affect things. Are we supposed to get some proactive Hell stories throughout the DCU in the future? Will this have anything to do with Blackest Night? Only time will tell.

Dark Tower: Treachery #4

It seemed there was a little more meat in this issue than in issues past, a bit more narrative. That’s a good thing since the issues seem to go by so fast (and I don’t read the prose in the back). Roland has finally given up the grapefruit, but is it too late for him? Well, we know it’s not since we’ve read the books. There wasn’t any mention of Cort’s niece, and I can’t remember where we left her last issue. I hope the Del Rey books are just as good as the Marvel ones when King switches over. I loved Lee’s portrayal of Farson. Other than mentions of him in the books, I never really formed a good picture of him in my mind. I’ll take Lee’s. It was beautiful.

Trinity #30

Okay, so the legends of the aliens’ God is starting to make sense. This whole damn thing is Krona’s fault. But the Trinity are energy beings now, or are they abstract concepts given form, forms that we as readers are familiar with? I think it would be pretty cool if DC were to market a couple of Tarot sets featuring the villains and the heroes that are in this comic. Didn’t Vertigo do that with Sandman? Get some popular artists to do the art, have Busiek write a manual, and make it a limited collectible. Well, I think it would be neat.

Ultimatum #2

Wow. Pretty powerful and disturbing issue. Let’s do a rundown. The Hulk is helping Spider-Man. Why isn’t he eating anyone? I guess that’ll be addressed in the next issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. Reed and Doom are going to the Squadron Supreme universe to get Fury back. I wonder how that will impact the Squadron Supreme book, and if any of this stuff will happen in that book. That’d be pretty neat. Cap is in Valhalla, so he’s dead. I wonder if he’ll stay that way or if Black Panther will take up the mantle since Steve did the opposite in Ultimates 3. Since when was Blob a cannibal? That was damn disturbing. So Wasp is another casualty. And then the big one at the end, the death of Professor X. I definitely didn’t see that coming. And how did HE not see it coming? This really is shaking up the Ultimate universe.

Unknown Soldier #3

Jesus Christ this is a brutal and uncompromising comic. Kidnapping girls from a Catholic school so the boy soldiers can have wives. That’s rough. And our hero has to kill those boy soldiers, boys who have had no choice but to do this, who have lived their entire lives in the shadow of this war. It hits you pretty hard.

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.

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 Nov. 5, 2008 (Mini Series)

Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel#1

The Blue Marvel. A new, ret-conned superhero that comes complete with his own ret-conned arch-nemesis, Anti-Man. His last fight with Anti-Man was June 4, 1962, so I’m assuming this takes place just days before the Fantastic Four show up on the scene and the Age of Marvels starts. But because of his race, he’s asked, by President Kennedy no less, to step down because the U.S. wouldn’t be able to handle a black superhero (hmm, this comic is released the same week that the first black President of the U.S. has been elected…eerie). I wonder what die hard Black Panther fans will think of this, or even thought of the introduction of Isaiah Bradley, a black man who preceded Steve Rogers as the first Captain America? BP has been regarded as THE first black (not African American, since he’s not American) superhero in the Marvel universe. This is an interesting premise, one that I hope is handled better than the convoluted mess that is the Sentry’s backstory.

Back to Brooklyn #2

I’ll say this for him, Garth Ennis is a consistently good writer. He may not always have a homerun like Preacher, Hellblazer or the Punisher, but he almost always gets a base hit. I think any fan of Ennis’ MAX Punisher series would enjoy this. My only gripe is with the artwork. It seems so stiff, and the characters are difficult to tell apart. I also don’t like the washed-out coloring.

Civil War: House of M #3

Another good issue, although I still think the title should be reversed (House of M: Civil War). Even though we know how the story is going to end, it’s interesting to see how the world got the way it was in House of M. I’ll have to go through my back issues, but did we see why Steve Rogers isn’t around but Bucky is? And I guess with the addition of Mimic to Bucky’s little strike force, not all mutants share Magneto’s, or even Xavier’s, views. Two more issues to go.

Marvel Zombies 3 #2

“Aw, snap! She’s a mannequin!”

Well, Fred Van Lente certainly has Kirkman’s fanboy disease. Portal? He’s using Portal in the series? He must be a Darkhawk fan. So this series looks like it actually takes place between the first two Marvel Zombie minis. I guess this’ll explain what happened while the other group was in space. The novelty of this has ALMOST worn off, but not quite, especially now that it’s robots vs. zombies!

Sub-Mariner: The Depths #3

This is still an engaging story, even though we haven’t seen more than bits and pieces of Namor. Maybe that’s why it’s probably the most compelling Sub-Mariner story I’ve read. I’ve never like the character; he seems so one-dimensional. Focusing on the submarine crew and the legend of Namor seems to be the way to go.

Terror Titans #2

Pretty decent, by-the-book mini here. We see the results of some 3rd-tier-hero fights, but not the fights themselves. Some of them would have been nice to see. I didn’t understand the Argent/Sapphire fight. From the art, it looked like Argent actually won. I’m wondering if Ravager is working on a little sting operation to prove herself to the Teen Titans.

Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1

This is an adaptation of a book that I haven’t read. I think I need to. This first issue was very well written (it’s a Sandman story by Gaiman, so why wouldn’t it be?) and beautifully illustrated by P. Craig Russell. It tells the story of a monk and a fox, how they meet, and what happens to them. Morpheus does not appear in the book, but it definitely fits in the Sandman mythos. I can’t wait for the next issue.

Ultimatum #1

Not the best first issue I’ve seen. I actually felt a greater sense of loss when Magneto blew up the Brooklyn (or was it the George Washington) Bridge in Ultimate X-Men. There was just too much going on to really make an impact. Jeph Loeb is just taking a hit from me lately. I don’t think he’s the right fit for the Ultimate universe. I will give him kudos, though, for being right on top of where all the titles are. As for David Finch, I can take him or leave him; it all depends on my mood. I liked him on Ascension and thought he was okay with Avengers and Ultimate X-Men, but I thought it was kind of ugly here. So, the book isn’t off to the greatest start, but I’ve got hope that it’ll get better.

Venom: Dark Origin #4

This has been a fascinating mini-series. We all thought we knew what we needed to know about Venom’s origin, right? I guess not. When telling a story like this for someone who has been around, what, 20 years, you can assume there’s going to be some retconning. What I’ve found, though, has been insignificant. When we first met Eddie’s wife in or around Amazing Spider-Man #375, she was white. Here she’s black. Big deal. In this issue we get to relive the classic being-pushed-in-front-of-the-subway-with-no-warning-from-his-spider-sense scene, but here it’s an elevated train, not the subway. Again, very minor. I was hoping we’d see the scene where Spidey’s crawling up a building and Eddie grabs his leg and tries to throw him off, but the MJ scene from the end of ASM #299 was extended instead. Good call. Zeb Wells is doing a superb job on this mini, and Angel Medina was made to draw Venom. But with the focus being on Eddie here, I wonder if he’s eventually going to get the suit back? I like Gargan as Venom, and Eddie as Anti-Venom (Corny!) is very neat. I’m looking forward to the conclusion next month.

Vixen: Return of the Lion

Meh. Dull story, beautiful art.

X-Men: Manifest Destiny #3

I feel like the Iceman story is just going over ground already covered when the White Queen took over his body for a while. He’s still got a villainous female putting him through the motions. The Graymalkin origin story was good. Having Yanick Paquette draw it was a good choice since he does the artwork on Young X-Men. I wonder, though, why Graymalkin wasn’t freed any of the other times the mansion was or grounds were destroyed? The Colossus story was pretty depressing, and as much as Wolverine tried to lighten things up, I think it was Santo who actually provided the comic relief. As depressing as it was, it was a story that needed to be told since Peter and Kitty were so close.

X-Men/Spider-Man #1

What we’ve got here is a decent throw-back story that seems to know its continuity. It’s not a bad story, and as I was getting to the end it looked like it was wrapping up as a one-shot and not a mini-series. But then a mystery villain (who is VERY mysterious for the time period) makes himself known, and we’ve got a good set-up for the next issue. Kudos to Gage. As for Mario Alberti, I’m disliking most of the art. When it doesn’t look like a Tim Sale clone, it’s just ugly. Except for the women, that is. He has a knack for drawing extremely gorgeous women. Go figure.