Modern Comics Review: Incorruptible #8

I’m a big fan of Mark Waid and he’s been doing some excellent work over at Boom! Studios since he got there. The first book he had there that seemed to call out to me was his Superman-gone-bad comic Irredeemable. It quickly proved to be an interesting exploration of what could drive the world’s greatest hero, in this case the Plutonian, to become its worst villain. Not quite a year after the debut of Irredeemable, Mark Waid began to release an offshoot of the book that functioned as a side story within the same universe but exploring the opposite theme; this series was Incorruptible. The book follows Max Damage, previously one of the Plutonian’s greatest enemies and he has a sudden change of heart and tries to become the world’s new greatest hero to fill the gap left by the Plutonian. To my surprise, I found myself liking Incorruptible nearly as much, if not more, than Irredeemable.

Issue #8 begins right where last issue left off with Max having been shot after the Plutonian-worshipping Diamond Gang discovered Max’s main weakness and shot him. Luckily for Max, a girl he used/saved named Annie has taken up the role of his previous sidekick as Jailbait and saves him for being finished off. Max’s power making him super strong and invincible and he get more and more so the longer he’s awake, but if he sleeps, his powers reset to nothing. Here, he manages to heal thanks to some shots of adrenaline that artificially “wakes” him up allowing him to heal. This is all well and good, but it just made me wonder why Max doesn’t just carry adrenaline around with him all the time. It’d kinda solve his whole weakness problem if he just took a shot of the stuff as soon as he woke up after every nap. But I guess he’s super strong and not super smart though, so maybe he just never though of it. The rest of this issue follows Max and Jailbait as they try and figure out just how The Diamond Gang figured out his weakness. I was pleasantly surprised at the answer as it added a little bit more a connection between this series and Irredeemable, something it hasn’t had in a few issues. I am curious why this person would know his weakness, but maybe that’ll get explained in a later issue. I’m also already starting to like Annie more than Terri, the previous jailbait. She’s much less whiny and more take charge, which I like.

The art here, by Horacio Domingues, is cartoony fun, rather in the vein on Mike Wieringo but with Domingues’ own personal twist. Surprisingly, it suit’s the book despite it’s gritty feel. I still don’t like it as much as original series artist Jean Diaz’s artwork who seemed more suited to the feel of the book, but I’m still enjoying Domingues’ art here too. There are some odd proportions and continuity errors (I.e. the blood on the back of Max’s coat) and some faces can change dramatically change from panel to panel, but it’s not really all that noticeable. Once you get past how goofy it can look at times, it can be fun to look at, even if it’s nothing too spectacular.

Incorruptible has been in something of a rut for the past couple issues, losing quite a bit of the momentum it started with, but this issue seems to start moving away from this and adding a new plot that could prove to very interesting. I can understand why he’d avoid this only eight issues in, especially with how tight the plots seemed to be scripted, but I’m still hoping it’ll lead to the crossover with Irredeemable that’s been scratching at the back on my brain since I picked up issue one. Either way, this issue hopefully marks an upswing in the pace of the overall story, so I’m excited to see where it goes from here.

Overall: 7.7/10

Modern Comics Review: Fantastic Four #581

From the very beginning, I’ve loved Jonathan Hickman’s run on Fantastic Four. This book went a loooong time without a truly good creative team and it really suffered for it. Fantastic Four has been my favorite comic book since I was eight years old and was even the one that got me into comic books seriously so it really bothered me that it had been so long since I’d been able to call it “good.” Luckily for me, that all changed when Hickman and Dale Eaglesham came on board and it’s only gotten better since then. Since it was announced, I’ve been looking forward to this particular issue to see how Hickman would handle the character of Nathaniel Richards, someone who hasn’t been seen in about fourteen years.

As always, Nathaniel Richards proves to be somewhat of a confusing character. This Nathaniel looks nothing like the Nathaniel that readers last saw, one that was much older looking and had a prosthetic eye. Whether or not this detail will be entirely ironed out next issue is unsure, but we are treated to the story of this Nathaniel and his history stems directly from events in SHIELD #2. It’s an interesting twist that leaves the reader having to handle a whole lot of Nathaniel(s). Despite the complexity of the issue, it’s still quite a bit of fun. It’s every bit as heady as the rest of Hickman’s work on Fantastic Four and he has a great handle on college-age Reed, Ben, and Doom. It’s a lot of fun seeing their interactions and all the personalities are spot on. Some might cry foul on Doom’s involvement, but it really isn’t as out of character as some might think; Doom loves to see Reed beg almost as much as he loves to see him die. The issue ends on a fun cliffhanger that leaves plenty of room for crazy action next issue and I’m really excited to see it. I also can’t wait to see what future-Valeria wants with Sue, though I’ll guess it’s nothing happy.

After reading this issue, I had to go back and revise some of my opinions of of artist Neal Edwards. I had previously looked at him as a sub-par fill-in artist, but he has certainly proved me wrong. Edwards is really turning in some strong pencils on Fantastic Four and has clearly improved in his time on the title. He no longer seems like second-rate Bryan Hitch and is, in my opinion, now doing better work than much of Hitch’s recent work. He’s has a great grasp of all the character’s in the issue and really makes them look distinct from one another. He handles all of the crazy of the sci-fi ideas here perfectly and handles the quiet college moments just as well. His level of detail is truly impressive and I had a lot of fun just looking at the panel containing Evil Nathaniel’s “collections.” As much as I’m looking forward to Steve Epting’s upcoming work on this series, I’m starting to actually get sad that Edwards is leaving. He does still have some awkward faces here and there that look almost Mike McKone-esque (not something I like), but it doesn’t detract from the issue at all.

This issue was a whole lot of fun, despite the distinct lack of most of the FF, at least as we’re used to seeing them. I really like this Nathaniel that’s introduced here as he is much more likeable now than he was then, but I hope to see some connection or reference made between this one and the old version. Next issue promises some epic action, especially in the symbol on Evil Nathaniel’s chest is what I think it is and I’m really excited to see how it unfolds, especially with Edwards’ pencils. I don’t know how much effect these two issues will have on the “Three” arc that is coming up soon, but it really doesn’t matter because, even only halfway in, I’m having so much fun now that it wouldn’t bother me even if it turned out to be little more than filler.

Overall: 9.2/10

Modern Comics Review: Action Comics #891

Remember in my review of Action Comics #890 when I said “I’ll put my in Paul Cornell for another month?” Well I can say that after reading issue #891, I‘m glad I did stick around. This was just a really fun issue in so many ways. Cornell continues to explore Luthor as a character and really gets him just right and makes him unbelievably entertaining to read. It’s evident right from the cover that the focus here is squarely one Luthor from the moment you see the “Lex Luthor’s Action Comics” title stamped on it.

This issue actually utilizes one of my least favorite comic book plots: the happy subconscious world construction. This plot device involves a character having something create a perfect world for them in their mind with the idea that they would never want to leave and never realize they’re even trapped in a dream. Most often in the DCU, this happens when the Black Mercy plants are involved (a la, For the Man Who Has Everything). Here, however, it happens through the machinations of the telepathic Mr. Mind. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this issue despite this tired plot, largely due to how fun of a character Luthor is. It’s a lot of fun seeing Luthor almost instantly realize what’s happening and how he overcomes it; and trust me when I say he does it all with a very Luthor method. The scenarios that Luthor’s mind creates are a fun to see even if we don’t spend much time in each. Mr. Mind was a very entertaining villain for the issue and he is used to setup another villain that’s to be revealed another issue. Cornell has a delightfully silly take on Mr. Mind and, as promised, the interplay of Luthor against other DC villains is already proving to be great fun.

I have to say, I even enjoyed Pete Woods art here more than in last issue. Maybe it’s because he’s given much more variety to draw this here than last month, but it was just a much more visually interesting issue. I especially loved his interpretation of Mr. Mind; I never thought I’d say this but he is one adorable little evil multi-dimensional worm. With panels that contain things such as Mr. Mind in a cowboy hat holding a gun to 1800’s Lois Lane’s head, you can’t help but smile and that’s high praise. I do still wish that Woods would add some more detail at times and he could have made each dream a little more visually distinctive, but overall it was a huge improvement from last month.

I’m really beginning to enjoy this book a lot. Two issues in and I don’t miss Superman in the slightest and I’m officially enjoying this story more than the “Grounded” storyline in Superman, though that story is only one full issue in. If Cornell can keep this pace up and keep Luthor consistently interesting to read without getting repetitive, this book will remain near the top of my pull list at least long as the Luthor arc continues. If you were hesitant to pick up yet another Superman book without the Big Blue in it, then pick up Action Comics: it just might change your mind.

Overall: 8.4/10

Modern Comics Review: Avengers #3

Without a doubt, Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers was the one comic I was most excited about coming out of Siege. As much as I enjoyed New Avengers, it felt fundamentally different than Avengers book of old. As much as I wish someone other than Bendis was writing it, I was okay with the choice so long as he had the right mood to the stories. Luckily for me, when it was announced that his first arc would be a time travel arc involving Kang the Conqueror, it seemed as though I’d gotten my wish. Unfortunately, looking at issue three, it doesn’t seem to be going as well as I’d hoped.

I was never completely sold on the roster for this main Avengers team. I was really excited to have Iron Man and Thor back and many of the other members really work; I’ve even really grown to accept and like Spider-Man as a member of the team. However, I still feel that both Wolverine and Spider-Woman have no place here and would really prefer that they stick to either New Avengers or other books entirely. I can get past these two as members for a good story and good use of them, but this hasn’t quite happened yet. So far, the story has quickly become a mess that seems to be going nowhere fast. This issue especially slowed things to a crawl as the entire issue is devoted to a fight scene with a future Apocalypse and his Four Horseman. This whole fight basically ends up as an excuse for Iron Man to scan Apocalypse for information I thought they already had. I should say, however, that the fight was fun and I was never bored with the issue, so it has that going for it.

Sadly, I also couldn’t really like many of the characters in it. Spider-Woman continues to have effectively no presence or relevance and most of the characters still talk like their Spider-Man. I know many people have brought this up, but not everyone needs to have jokey quips in every line of their dialogue; it just becomes annoying and Bendis seems to be relying on this more and more. That and Maria Hill just continues to annoy me more and more. That being said, I did actually really like Spidey in this issue and Thor was written very well too. I’m also really starting to like Noh-Varr as he has a more unique voice and personality, even if I’m still not sold on his new costume or name.

Although the plot for this issue felt like it went nowhere, it was at least still fun. Easily the biggest disservice to Avengers #3 is John Romita Jr.s art. It’s no secret that I strongly dislike Romita’s artwork. His characters always feel flat, almost as though they were cut from paper, and his art just looked rushed all the time. It’s really bad that I questioned who three of his Horsemen even were at various points in the book. Romita also draws one of the least impressive Thors I have ever seen in my life and his Iron Man is utterly awful. Even his Spider-Man, the one character I traditionally enjoy his artwork with, didn’t look right to me in this issue. Credit where credit it is due, though, in that Romita does have a great attention to detail and certainly fills in his backgrounds with various objects.

Avengers could still become the flagship Avengers book I want it to be. The plot could still be a lot of fun if Bendis will just allow it to move forward. I really do want to see this book succeed and I will continue to follow at least this arc in hopes that it does. Sadly, I don’t think there’s anything that could be done for me about art short of replacing Romita, but I tolerate if Bendis can really push things forward in a fun, exciting way. Overall: 6.4/10

Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #2

Well I got one thing I wished for with this issue. There is more a focus on Terry McGinnis as the titular Batman Beyond, although little to of that taking place outside his identity as Batman. Whereas last issue was largely setup and reintroduction of setting, characters, and story, Batman Beyond #2 brings us a little more into the action and the investigation that one would hope for in a Batman title. I’m still not sold on the villain, but their identity isn’t necessarily revealed either in last issue or this one so that could still go any direction.

This issue starts where the last one left off, with Terry leaving the hospital to bring the bandage and word of “Hush” back to Bruce Wayne for analysis. This leads to an interesting flashback of Bruce’s about the end of Hush during his tenure as Batman and I couldn’t help but find it comical. It seemed a little silly that a master tactician such as Hush would be dispatched in such a way, but even this is addressed in the issue and, honestly, feels almost appropriate given how crime-riddled a place Gotham is. It seemed strangely acceptable within the story and leaves the identity a little more open-ended. We’re also treated to an introduction of the Beyond version of Catwoman. As with last time, I can’t help but wish this was one of the Terry’s own Rogues or at least not a new version of a previous Batman villain, but making it Catwoman makes in the scheme of the story Adam Beechen is writing here so I have no real problem with this.

As I said before, Terry gets a little more focus time here and nothing has changed in how well Beechen is able to write Terry. I can practically here Terry’s old voice actor Will Friedle saying all of his lines and it goes a long way toward making Batman Beyond feel that much more authentic to the show it was based on. Bruce Wayne is also handled wonderfully. Though he comes across as overly harsh, even for Bruce Wayne, it’s all understandable given that he thinks one of his greatest opponents from his past may be back. I don’t blame him for being worried both for his city and his wet-behind-the-ears replacement. It actually goes a long way to making him feel more human than he did last issue. Even backgrounds characters a fun, with Calendar Man’s “Deathday” song being delightfully campy.

A continuing problem appears in the form of Ryan Benjamin’s pencils once again, however. Though he shows a wonderful sense of action with a particularly kinetic fight scene with Catwoman, his character work can still be very wonky at times. His Bruce Wayne has improved some but still doesn’t look like his TV counterpart. Terry however, has gotten worse with his face out of costume looking horrendously distorted and even Asian at times. His Batman fares better, but suffers from strange proportions as Batman’s body size and, particularly, height change frequently, making Terry look even younger than he is. Benjamin looks like he could be very capable, I just wish he could stabilize his art and maybe reference character designs from the show a little better. I did really enjoy his flashback as he really seemed to be channeling his inner Jim Lee at points, which is good given the characters being presented.

All in all, Batman Beyond still hasn’t lived up to the expectations I’ve set for it. This may seem unfair going from television to comic books, but the source material is just too good to be squandered on a mostly mediocre book. Despite this, Batman Beyond has managed to dig its claws into me and I will continue to come back to this series each month as there really is room to grow and I want to see it do just that.

Overall: 7.3/10

Modern Comics Review: Amazing Spider-Man #638

I wish Joe Quesada would stop writing (and illustrating) comic books. I respect that he was able to help bring back Marvel a decade ago and I’m grateful for it, but I wish he’d stop forcing his ideas into comics. I know it’s practically cliché to say this these days, but I hated One More Day. Even if you excuse the whole “deal with the devil” thing, it was just a mess of a story with some terrible characterization and ugly art. I know J. Michael Sraczynski technically wrote that, but it wasn’t his idea so I still heap most (though not all) of that blame on Joe Q. That being said, I have really enjoyed many of the issues of Amazing Spider-Man that have come as a result of this, but this issue, the first of the “One Moment In Time” arc almost undid all of that and just angered me.

“O.M.I.T.” has been announced as promising to explain what happened to stop Peter and Mary Jane’s wedding after the deal with Mephisto as well as to finally explain what MJ whispered into Mephisto’s ear at the conclusion of that story. First, let me say that the reveal of what was whispered is nowhere near as exciting as anyone will hope it would be. It’s extremely anticlimactic, though it does, however minutely, help take some heat off of Peter for making the deal at all. As for how the wedding is stopped, that’s explained too, but the story is absurdly dull and uninteresting.
(Spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!)


Having some chubby thug of Electro’s fall on Spider-Man and knock him out and make him miss his wedding is possibly the stupidest reason Quesada could have come up with. I honestly would have accepted nearly anything else other than this. It doesn’t help that huge amounts of unnecessary story were devoted to setting this up when no setup was really needed at all.

Surprisingly, these are actually the least of my gripes with the issue. What bothered me most was the inclusion of (many) pages from Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, i.e. the marriage issue from 1987, to frame the flashback in. This idea in-and-of-itself isn’t bad, but Quesada picks and chooses specific pages that show Peter doubting whether or not he should marry MJ. Reading just the included pages would make one think Spidey barely cared for MJ, had no interest in marrying, and only wished he could have Gwen Stacy back. It doesn’t help that Quesada and artist Paolo Rivera add in extra parts to these pages to make Peter seem even more in doubt and it becomes obvious that Quesada picked these pages mainly to further his agenda of making others believe his stance on the anti-marriage. It all felt very childish to me in this sense, almost more like a fan fiction, and that is not a good thing.

The art also deserves quite a bit of criticism here. I have never, ever been a fan of Joe Quesada’s art. It’s unbelievably inconsistent and can makes it nearly impossible to recognize characters sometimes. Here, that’s not an issue, but he’s only drawing Peter and MJ, so it’s not all that surprising. His characters can change wildly in proportion as well and he has some serious problems daring Peter’s head. I thought his sequence’s were just painful to look at. Paolo Rivera fares quite a bit better, but is stuck trying his best to imitate the art from the 1980’s as he is only used in the extra scenes from the flashbacks. I admit, he does an admirable job, but it is still starkly obvious when he takes over and it’s a jarring shift at times. It made me wish that they would have just brought in Marcos Martin from the backup story instead.

It’s a bad sign when your two-page backup story is the best thing in your double-sized issue, but it really was about the only thing I enjoyed in this issue. I’m honestly hesitant about picking up the next issue, but I will in hopes there is something better about it. Not only did I not enjoy this issue, it butchered a very good issue from 23 years ago. I’m already excited for O.M.I.T. to end and hope it will be promptly “O.M.I.T.”-ed from Spider-Man continuity afterward. And yes, pun intended. A bad joke for a bad issue.

Overall: 2.0/10 (Mainly for the beautiful cover and Stan Lee and Marcos Martin’s backup, if you care)

Modern Comics Review: Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1

I can’t help but feel like I’m in the minority here, but since it was announced, I’ve been looking forward to Time Masters: Vanishing Point much more than Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne despite the fact that they are focusing a lot of the same material, albeit from a different perspective. I think this is largely because of the more recognizable cast, but also because of the involvement of Dan Jurgens on both story and art. Something about Jurgens has always appealed to me, especially his art, though I do have to say I haven’t been following him on Booster Gold for the most part. Due to all these reasons, I enjoyed the first issue of Vanishing Point quite a bit.

This issue mainly follows the narration of Rip Hunter as he travels through time with Superman, Hal Jordan, and Booster Gold looking for Batman. Rip himself doesn’t have all that unique a voice, he mainly comes off as a gruff loner that you’ve probably seen a million times, but he is still highly enjoyable in the way his character is bounced such huge personalities as Superman and Hal. It’s really just a lot of fun to see a man that has no powers at all, stand up to them like it’s no big deal. It’s also always obvious that he is clearly the smartest guy in the room and a few steps ahead of everyone. Things like this are what make his scenes easily the best in the issue. We also get some glimpses of Supernova and Goldstar dealing with other time traveling threats, though Supernova seemed a little…off to me. Whether this is just me or a plot I don’t know. Overall, it’s a lot of fun though. The end wasn’t as exciting to me as it seemed to want to be, but the plot could still go literally anywhere.

The highlight of the issue for me here was easily the art though. As I said before, I really like Dan Jurgens artwork and the finishes from Norm Rapmund only enhances this. I’m not sure if it was Jurgens improving his own art of Rapmund’s help, but each picture is very crisp and everyone looks suitably heroic. Characters that supposed to to look Silver Age-esque manage to pull this off without seemingly out of place too, which is a plus. Detail can vary quite a bit and some panels definitely look more rushed than others, but it’s mostly a good looking issue.

It wasn’t perfect, but I was definitely pleased with Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1. This issue read very quickly and yet, it didn’t really feel like too much actually happened. For some reason, it just didn’t seem like the story went too far from when it started, but it has a lot of room to grow. I’m curious to see if this series ever intersects with The Return of Bruce Wayne and if they ever end up covering similar ground. So long as the focus stays largely on Rip with the other heroes and things ramp up a bit, this has the potential to be an extremely fun story, but if it doesn’t I’m worried it will fall a little flat. At least the art should stay nice though.

Overall: 7.7/10

Modern Comics Review: Avengers Academy #2

When all of the Avengers books were revamped after Marvel Siege storyline, I knew the one that I’d miss the most, at least on an emotional level, was Avengers: The Initiative. I may not have followed that book in its entirety, but what I did read was full of interesting characters that had real heart to them and a great focus spanning both The Initiative’s recruits and its instructors. Christos Gage’s writing was key to this and was so heartfelt, I really felt connected to a character named Butterball for the first time in my life (admittedly a rare situation but I digress). Therefore, I was excited when Marvel announced the coming of the spiritual successor to Avengers: The Initiative in Avengers Academy, also written by Gage. But after two issues, is this book the worthy successor I’d hoped for?

Well…yes and no. As before, Gage excels in making characters feel distinct and human but that doesn’t necessarily I’m enamored of all the characters. In The Initiative, even the new trainee characters all felt well-developed before they were developed and they were all great fun here. Here, I only get the feeling of his once great characterization from the Academy instructors, all previously established characters; I don’t, however, much care for the students at this point and it detracts from my enjoyment of the series thus far. This may be a little unfair of a statement as most of these characters have only been seen once before, but they all just come across as slightly annoying and stereotypical here. This could be justified in that they are all teenagers dealing with issues and they are just acting their age, but it still annoys, especially Finesse, who takes the role of narrator this issue. This issue was largely devoted to her minds inner workings, but it fell flat for me as she annoyed me more than anything.

To be fair though, as I said, this is only the second issue and there is plenty of room for these characters to grow into something unique and I hope this is the case. Gage truly nailed both Quicksilver and Hank Pym and made them the most interesting points of the book for me. The Quicksilver subplot that begins here has potential to be quite interesting and could even elevate Finesse as a character as well if handled correctly, so I hope to see this happen. Meanwhile, few other characters get much screen time, most noticeable of which is the complete absence of Speedball, a character I was personally hoping to see featured a bit more. Again, this can be something for future issues to work on.

While the story and characters weren’t quite as well realized as I’d hoped, they could improve. What really bothered me the most this issue, as well as last, was Mike McKone’s art. It seems I’m in the minority here, but I hate McKone’s art style. I’ve really tried to like his work in the past, but I just can’t. Everything in this book just feels very static and undetailed here. I don’t get any sense of motion and moods carry very poorly; scenes that should be tense just come off as people staring blankly. Bodies either seem to big or too small and seem to very in size, especially in adults and just makes everything seem a little unnatural and lumpy-looking. Despite my staring blankly comment however, I do have to say that McKone is occasionally able to convey faces well, most noticeably in making it apparent just how much disdain Quicksilver seems to have for everything and everyone around him. If his style works for you, then great for you and I hope you enjoy it, but it does nothing for me.

Two issues in, Avengers Academy isn’t quite the book I wanted it to be. I never wanted it to be Avengers: The Initiative with a new name and, to its credit, it isn’t, but it also hasn’t developed quite as fully as I wanted. It does, however, have infinite room to grow and hopefully it will do just that. With a little more focus on honing the personalities of each of the students and some time outside whatever training facility these characters seem perpetually stuck in, the book could really take off. Even though I think it’s a little early for a crossover, next month’s crossover with Thunderbolts may do just that, so I’ll stick around, put my faith in Gage and see where he can take these characters.

Overall: 7.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Batman #701

I’m not going to lie and say that I completely understand everything Grant Morrison crammed into his story Batman R.I.P. a couple years ago, or even most of it for that matter. There’s no denying though, the Morrison has a great grasp on the characters of Batman and Bruce Wayne all throughout his history and that he had an ambitious story to tell. I also have to say that I’m not always the biggest fan of Grant Morrison; sometimes his stories just come off as unnecessarily complicated or heady to me. All that being said, I did enjoy R.I.P. back when I read it and was always curious just how Batman made it from the end of that story to Final Crisis #6, and that’s just what Batman #701 starts out to do.

Morrison wastes no time, focuses on Batman/Bruce Wayne immediately after his helicopter crash that he shared with Doctor Hurt at the end of Batman R.I.P. From here, the reader follows Batman as he tries to recover and follow up on these events both through his own internal narration and his interactions with others. I really do have to say, Morrison really does know just how to write Batman. His Batman is equal parts the calculating , strong character many see him as but also empathic and human, just as he should be. There are some truly great scenes of Bruce in this issue and in just his narration, it plainly obvious that Bruce is both determined to end the problems he’s facing, but also extremely tired, though he won’t let that stop his work. This is easily some of the best, and most faithful, characterization I’ve seen in a superhero book recently. There’s a particularly great panel in which Bruce is talking to Superman and thinks to himself “They sometimes forget I’m flesh and blood.” It’s really refreshing to see Batman treated as a human being and not some unstoppable machine.

Where I do have problems with this issue is in the art of Tony Daniel. There’s no denying that Daniel is talented, but his artwork can change drastically from panel to panel, and rarely for the better. Batman changes body shape and size every other page and sometimes the art is just plain unrecognizable. When it looks good, it looks great, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. In one panel, it looks as though he channeling Frank Quitely, which is not a good thing in my eyes as I’m not a quietly fan. There are some truly stellar pages though and I love the cover.

This is easily one of the more straightforward issues I think Grant Morrison has ever written, but this makes it one his better issues for it. Even though the art is wildly inconsistent, the good pages and characterization make it all worth it, especially if you want some insight into both Morrison’s current stories and his from the recent past. I’m personally more excited for the next issue as the story heads into the events of Final Crisis, but this is still definitely worth checking out, especially for all of those that miss Bruce Wayne as Batman.

Overall: 8.1/10

Modern Comics Review: Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #2

Now here is a comic book! I have to say, when I first heard about Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, I groaned at the idea of it just like I’m sure many other comic readers did. I couldn’t believe that Marvel would take two of their three most over-exposed and over-used characters (they left Deadpool out of this one) and were going to give them their own book, even if it was a mini-series. Even the creative team, the excellent Jason Aaron and the always-talented Adam Kubert, couldn’t keep me from feeling this was a terrible idea. Despite all this hesitation though, I’ll be the first in line to step up, get on my knees, and apologize to those who obviously knew better than me.

I should probably clarify a bit. When I think of comic books, I think of pure entertainment. That’s exactly what comics should be. Whether superhero, graphic novel, slice-of-life, or whatever kind of comic book it is, it should first and foremost entertain or otherwise captivate its reader and I’m not sure if I’ve been this entertained by a single issue of a comic book in quite a while. Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine is not trying to get a political statement or attempting to make any sort of message at all. There’s no deep psychology, though that’s not say there aren’t great character moments, but it is balls to the wall fun from start to finish and that’s more than all I needed.

Jason Aaron is one amazing writer. I already knew he had a great handle on the character of Wolverine, specifically from his current Wolverine: Weapon X run, but he also has a great handle on Spider-Man, who he writes both witty and intelligent, irreverent and thoughtful and all around excellently throughout this issue. Aaron manages to nail the interaction of the two characters as well making them seem to both really hate each other and yet, somehow, still have a deep friendship. It has some truly great character moments, something I wouldn’t expect out of a book with a planet full of Cro-Magnons, Doom the Living Planets, Phoenix Force powered bullets, and Spider-Man with “Lame” written on his butt. Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine #2 manages to be both incredibly well written and absolutely zany all at once. I don’t think I’ve ever seen some many insane ideas in one place and yet they all work within the story and don’t detract from the primary focus on the characters.

The art is nothing to scoff at either here. I doubt many comic fans truly dislike the artwork of any of the Kubert family and Adam Kubert does not disappoint here. If I ever had a vision of what I thought a robot Devil Dinosaur or Ego the Living Planet with Dr. Doom’s consciousness in it looked like, then this is it. Kubert manages to completely nail this setting and make it his own, just as he did with last issues jungle setting. It’s entertaining just to examine a panel and see what little touches he’s added in for flavor. Last issue, it was Peter’s prehistoric inventions; this issue has all the items from around the Marvel Universe stored in Peter’s lab. I found myself pouring over these panels for quite a while just seeing what I could find. This issue was just as fun to look at as it was to read. If I had any problems with this issue, it’s that sometimes Kubert’s Spider-Man looks just a little off; he ranges from tall to very short to kind of stocky to very skinny. It isn’t a big issue, just something I noticed throughout and hope is addressed some in the future.

Overall, this was one exciting book. I had so much fun reading Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine and never knew what to expect next which as a huge part of the fun. This comic could go literally anywhere in the future and I’m excited to travel along for the ride.

Overall: 9.4/10

Sorry for the delay, but exciting news!

Hey everyone! Sorry that there haven't been any updates recently, but I was out of the country and out of the range of internet, but don't worry there should be updates a plenty coming soon. On the other hand, I do have some pretty awesome news. I was recently taken on as a volunteer comic review writer over on Comic Book Bin! I've already got an original review of Ghost Projekt #1 posted on there and hope to have a lot more going up in the future. At least for the time being, all the reviews I post there will be limited to there so check both the Bin and here to get all my reviews and a whole lot of other great reviews and news.

Read the review and more here:

http://www.comicbookbin.com/Ghost_Projekt001.html

90's Comic Reviews: Fantastic Four vol. 3 #9

(Note: In case you can't tell, this is a re-post of my first review that has since been lost, hence the "here's my first review" lines at the beginning)

Ok, here's my first comic review, and remember, I do not pretend to be anything resembling a professional reviewer. I should probably start off saying that, though I read comic books since I was able to read, I never actually read comics until I was eight years old and happened across Fantastic Four #358. Something about the family dynamic of the book, even when I was starting in the middle of a clearly ongoing story, really stood out to me even then and I rabidly started collecting any issue I could find. It was obvious to me, as is so often stated, that the Fantastic Four were primarily a family first and heroes second.

So if that issue was so important to me, then why am I reviewing this issue that came almost 75 issues later? Short answer: because no other issue to me exemplifies this family aspect and just what and who the Fantastic Four are. I'll probably get to that issue one day, but I think this issue did it better. One of the most important ways in succeeded in this was through the small scale of the issue. There are no world-ending disasters or looming character deaths. In fact, the only supervillain that even shows up in this issue is barely engaged in a fight and leaves on his own accord.

But the action isn't the important part of this issue. The whole issue is framed by the idea of Reed Richards inviting reporters to come the FF's then-home of Pier Four to see what a day in the life of the Fantastic Four is like and to interview them. Through this narrative device, we get a glimpse of each member of the family. Surprisingly, at least considering most recent Fantastic Four stories, the one we see the least of is Reed Richards. This is the start of a period, much like in the current Fantastic Four run by Jonathan Hickman in which multiple new or different characters took up residence with the Fantastic Four and each of the characters highlights a different member of the family. From Johnny Storm's new friend Alysande Stuart to Franklin's new puppy to the then-budding romance between Alyssa Moy and The Thing, we get to see most of the family's interactions with each other and you can really feel the heart of every character.

This issue was fairly early on in a run started by Chris Claremont on the title with Salvador Larroca that lasted about 30 issues and is a personal favorite run of mine, though it is often overlooked and many of the ideas introduced in it were subsequently dropped by later creative teams. This has always seemed unfair to me as there were many interesting plots and characters introduced that could have been grounds for many more interesting stories but instead were ignored. Also, it is important, at least to me, to mention the art by Salvador Larocca. I own approximately 80% of the entirety of Fantastic Four's run since 1961 and I have always thought that Larocca was one of the best artist's the book has ever seen, on par with those of Jack Kirby, John Byrne, and Mike Wieringo. His work here is far cry from the muddy faces and humans he draws currently in Invincible Iron Man and he draw possibly my favorite interpretation on The Thing to date, while still giving him very human expressions. In fact, I can barely see the resemblance between the current work Larocca does and his art from titles around this time and I sorely miss it. He also drew one of the best, most elastic version of Mr. Fantastic I've ever seen.

I've heaped a lot of praise on this book and I think I've done so justly. While it may not offer very much action or give an interpretation of the team's origin, I still think this is one of the best jumping on points for an incoming Fantastic Four reader that the series has seen in its nearly 600 issue run. Few other issues give the reader such an idea of just WHO these characters are and every character acts exactly as you would expect and want them too. The Human Torch, in my opinion, receives the best treatment from Claremont in this regard, depicting him as mature and noticeably older than when he first received his powers while still maintaining the grandstanding, playful, and larger-than-life nature he is expected to have. He is not, however, treated solely as a womanizer and party hopper that is always the first member beaten in every battle. This is a huge pet peeve of mine that Claremont got just right.

This run does not receive nearly the amount of attention that it should. It is a wonderfully imaginative run with terrific characterization that makes for any of the shortcomings it may have at points and really distills the Fantastic Four to exactly what they should be: a true family. If you've always written of the Fantastic Four for any reason or you just haven't bothered to check the our before, give this issue a shot. Even if you don't typically like superhero comic books, this one just might win you over with it's stellar, truly human characterizations.

For Those That Care Score: 10/10

I'm Back!

Ok, to any out there that read my previous For Those That Care Blog and found this one, I'm back! I'm not entirely sure what happened, but my last blog got shut down inexplicably so I created this and I've re-uploaded all but one of my past reviews. Hopefully there won't be anymore problems like this and I hope you enjoy the reviews!

Modern Comics Review: Fantastic Four Annual #32

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Fantastic Four. For all intents and purposes, they were my first comic and there is no book I’ve collected so intensely of followed as closely so I was excited to see annuals return to the book, especially with the original numbering intact. I’ve always been a fan of the idea of annuals, as they can offer some fun stories that aren’t hampered by the current story of the main book. My excitement was a little drained by the announcement that the issue was being handled by Joe Ahearne, writer of the lackluster Fantastic Force spinoff off Mark Millar’s run on Fantastic Four, Bryan Hitch, who just isn’t quite as good as he once was. It didn’t help that the plot, one about Johnny Storm impregnating a woman he doesn’t remember, seemed like it was only going to play to the careless side of The Human Torch so many writers only write him, a plot point I really hate. So imagine my surprise when I actually kind of enjoyed the book.

Joe Ahearne has a much better grasp of this family than I thought he did. His Fantastic Four was written just as they should be, aside from how Johnny reacts when he finds out the news about the pregnancy; here he reverts to his party boy self. Some of the other characters sound off and Reed doesn’t seem quite as smart as he should, but there actually is an in-story reason for this that makes sense given partway into the book. I was also presently surprised by the reveal of the villain who, while underwhelming in their own right and with a completely silly plan, sort of brings back one of the FF’s villain that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. There are even some good throwback lines to that villain’s seminal story. The plot ultimately allows Johnny some time to shine as an actual hero, something I was VERY pleased to see. It ends of something of a cliffhanger, that could possibly be picked up in an interesting way sometime in the future, but will likely be forgotten, but that might be for the best.

As for the art, Hitch is definitely better here than he has been in a while, with the possible exception of New Avengers Finale. It is a step up from Captain America Reborn and definitely better than his work on Fantastic Four himself. It’s far less scratchy and I really enjoyed his portrayal of the inside of Johnny Storm. He still has some sloppy panels and his brief depiction of Franklin was truly odd looking, but his art in no way detracted from the book. I especially enjoyed Hitch’s portrayal of Reed when he was stretching. I actually enjoyed his work again, something I was pleasantly surprised to say.

Fantastic Four Annual #32 definitely feels like a lost issue of Mark Millar’s run, but this isn’t actually a bad thing. Ahearne seems to get these characters better than Millar did and is able to craft a fun annual out of them and give every character their own chance shine and has some nice dialogue and cool imagery. If you like the Fantastic Four, especially Johnny Storm, then you should check this book out. It’s all about the FF with almost no supporting cast and is a nice, fun read. If you don’t have 5 dollars to spare, you won’t be missing anything huge, but if you have the money and want a good time, check it out.

Overall: 7.5/10

Modern Comics Review: Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1

It was only when Spider-Man/ Fantastic Four was announced that I’d ever even heard of the Spider-Man/ X-Men miniseries that Christos Gage had done previously so I had no idea what to expect out of this series. What I can say though is that this book had definitely made me want to check it out as this was one entertaining issue. This may not be the highest profile book of the week, but it surprised me and became one of my favorite.

The whole point of this book is to tell untold stories of Spider-Man and Fantastic Four team-ups at various points throughout the continuity of both and this first issue fits snugly into the continuity of the books here as the Fantastic Four are forced to protect Dr. Doom at a peace conference shortly after Ben Grimm had crushed Doom’s hands in a then-recent invasion of the Baxter Building. Since the peace meeting takes place at Empire State University during Peter Parker’s time as a student there, naturally Spider-Man become embroiled in the mess when Namor crashes the scene for a duel of honor with Doom.

Christos Gage sets up all of these scenes very well and nails each characters’ voice perfectly. As is to be expected, the Human Torch and Spider-Man have some of the greatest back and forth in all of comics and it all feels just right. There’s even a fun continuity gag that I particularly enjoyed when Johnny Storm burns off one of Spidey’s armpit webs. It’s all very fun and has the feel of a goofy, Silver Age story that seems like it could have been just a lost issue of either Spider-Man or Fantastic Four, just as it should. Gage even manages to set up an in continuity threat at the end of the book that is sure to pay off later on.

I have to say, at the beginning of the issue, I wasn’t really into artist Mario Alberti’s artwork, but it definitely grew on me as the issue went on, especially once the action starts. Alberti draws an amazing Human Torch and slender Spider-Man that look quite good. He is also able to render a classic feel and costumes excellently. His faces weren’t always great, especially on Namor, but luckily, they’re rarely the focus of a scene so it’s not a big problem. Ultimately, Alberti is able to pull off the issue is mostly the way I would want and I’m curious to see how he renders other villains as the story, and timeline, progress.

Overall, this was a surprisingly good issue that will definitely draw me back for succeeding issues. I always seem to underrate Christos Gage as a writer which is foolish as me as he only shows signs of improving. If you have even a passing interest in either the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, you should definitely check this book out. Though it fits into continuity, you really don’t need to know any to enjoy this, though having some background only makes it that much more interesting. I’m excited to see where the upcoming issues go, especially with next issues apparent villain being Venom.

Overall: 8.3/10

Modern Comics Review: X-men #1

Like the Superman franchise, the X-men franchise is one that I’ve had a hard time following over the years. There were too many bad stories to justify me keeping up with it regularly so I only ever really read it when there was a major story or change coming that interested me. “Second Coming” was one of these stories that seemed to have enough to potential to bring me in. Honestly, I really enjoyed “Second Coming” throughout and I’m really hoping that the closing issue ends on a high note when it comes out. It did spark interest in the X-men as a whole for me though and I figured what better time to start continuously following them with a new X-men #1 from Victor Gischler and Paco Medina. To be honest, I actually enjoyed it too.

One misleading thing is that this book really isn’t spinning out of “Second Coming.” Honestly, if I didn’t know anything about “Second Coming” it would have had no effect on my reading of this issue; it isn’t so much as mentioned in passing. What is useful reading here, however, is the Death of Dracula one-shot that came out recently. Some characters carry directly over from that issue and X-men #1 picks up shortly after the vampiric status quo change in that book.

Here, the Lord of Vampires comes into to San Francisco and has a scheme to apparently start transforming the entire city into new vampires, however it seems that there is an even more sinister bent to this scheme as it seems that de-powered X-man Jubilee was the actual target of the first attack. Soon, the X-men are involved and investigating and it’s becomes clear that things will quickly get out of hand if Cyclops and his crew can’t put a stop to it.

The story for this issue is all about setup. You get some brief action that is no doubt only a minor fraction of what I hope this story eventually blossoms into. It definitely showcases how much brainless fun this whole “Mutants vs. Vampires” idea could be if it escalates the way I hope. But it is important to emphasis a key word in that last sentence: brainless. There isn’t anything remotely deep about this issue. It’s fun but that’s about it. None of the intricate and entertaining vampire politics from the Death of Dracula one shot are present here. That was another book with little action but was still deeply entertaining in the way the vampires interacted with one another. I’m really hoping that Gischler will actively put more vampire society in this and the related books. Speaking of related books, there are four new vampire related books launching out of this event, as advertised at the end of X-men #1. I also hope the story can justify the need for this many books in addition to X-men.

The art here, by Paco Medina, is actually quite good. It’s very bright and colorful, surprisingly so given the subject matter present and is a nice change from the dark dreariness of "Second Coming". Medina art has improved subtly since his days on Deadpool not long ago. His art is kind of like a cartoony Olivier Coipel, which works much better than you might think. It’s a very good fit for this book and keeps what could become a dark story firmly in the grounds of fun.

Despite the quality of Death of Dracula, I really wasn’t expecting much from this book. In that respect, it surprised me. If you want a deep, intellectually challenging book, then steer clear of X-men #1; maybe the post “Second Coming” other X-men books will fit that role better when they come, but if you want superheroes against monsters, this looks like a promising start.

Overall: 8.0/10

Modern Comics Review: Batman Beyond #1

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved every offering of the DC animated universe. It was much more mature than anything my young mind had been accustomed to seeing and it shocked and entertained every week that I watched. One of my favorites of all of these shows was easily Batman Beyond. This show was able to effortlessly do something I would have thought impossible then in replacing Batman and making him likeable, along with a rogues gallery of his own that was fun to watch him battle just as much as Bruce Wayne’s Batman. I’ve made sure to keep up with any of Terry McGinnis’ few adventures since his show ended, from those in Justice League Unlimited to his recent starring role in Superman/Batman Annual #4 that came out recently. So naturally I was excited when the new Batman Beyond miniseries was announced, but should I have been?

Let’s just say this isn’t quite the issue I was hoping it would be. It isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination but it could have been so much more. This issue takes place with the Terry McGinnis that was around during or shortly after his own series, but before his appearance in the last episode of Justice League Unlimited where he was revealed to be a clone of Bruce Wayne. I’m so glad that author Adam Beechen chose to do this, because it means that this plot could be possibly left out of Batman Beyond canon. I was not impressed with that particular story chose as it took away from Terry as his own hero and made him impressive as Batman only because of his genetic connections. This issue once again gives Terry the chance to come into the identity of Batman in his own right. In that regard, Beechen does a great job. He is also really able to capture the voice of Terry from the get-go and it feels just right.

The other feature of this issue that I was looking forward to is this issue attempting to place the Batman Beyond franchise into the main DC canon and not an alternate timeline or universe. I always found this particular franchise worthy of being integrated and it is done rather well here…for the most part. An unfortunate side effect of this integration is apparently adding more classic Batman villains into the series. The whole issue revolves around one of Batman’s enemies escaping incarceration and killing/attempting to kill more of his rogues. By focusing on this, it does fit the book into the timeline better, but also detracts from Terry’s own rogues gallery who are limited here a brief fight in the beginning and some throwaway mentions. I would have liked to see the mentioned villains take center stage, but I understand why this was done. Also, the particular villain chosen as the main antagonist here was certainly not one I would have expected to see in any incarnation of Batman Beyond, however different readers might find the particular villain’s involvement as more or less of a good thing depending on personal feelings toward the character.

I have two main problems with this book. The first is the lack of focus on the person that should have the focus: Terry McGinnis himself. This is the other drawback of using Batman’s rogues here. It makes it a much more personal case for Bruce Wayne, so he gets more screen time here than it seems like he should while Terry is used mainly to move the plot and not a protagonist. The biggest reason for the success of the Batman Beyond cartoon was the likeability of Terry. Taking him out of the spotlight is a surefire way to kill the series prematurely.

The other issue here is the art by Ryan Benjamin. Benjamin does manage to accurately recreate the world the show operated in, but his characters aren’t so lucky. He especially struggles when it comes to human faces. Faces either have far too many lines or too little detail or sometime just look plain ugly, such as the first time we see Terry’s face. Also, these characters don’t look much like their television selves. I’m okay with a little difference in looks and will happen with a change in art style, but this is too much. Benjamin at least attempts to imitate Terry’s looks, but Bruce looks nothing like he did before and is hardly recognizable. Hopefully, Benjamin will be able to capture the characters a little better in later issues.

Because I am such a huge fan of these characters, I will continue to follow this mini. As I said before, it isn’t a bad issue, but it is more suitable for a regular Batman issue than Batman Beyond. This is a first issue however, and there is plenty of room to improve. The villain could potentially be very interesting in this series so I hope to see him used well. Also, Adam Beechen has a great grasp on Terry’s personality so if he makes Terry front and center in the next issues this could rapidly move to the top of my read pile every month.

Overall: 7.0/10

Modern Comics Review: X-Campus #1

Now here’s an interesting book. There aren’t many X-men books that I follow on a regular basis, so I thought, with a new, continuity-free number one, that X-Campus could be worth checking out. The idea behind it is different enough. This is an entirely fresh re-imagining of the X-men mythos as envisioned by some new creators, all from Europe. Having European creators isn’t too special as Marvel loves to use both writers and artists from across the pond, but having them come up with their own take on an established franchise, in the vein of the X-men Evolution television show, definitely is. After reading the first issue, I’ve concluded that the idea, so far, is a mixed bag.

The first oversized issue is broken up into two chapters that basically serve as the new class of students getting oriented at their new school, The Worthington Foundation, in the first chapter and the early weeks there in the second. Personally, I found the use of the two chapters entirely unnecessary as they flowed together well enough. It was basically an excuse to change artists, though the art is so similar, I doubt I would have noticed if I hadn’t known there were two artists from the credits page. As modern retellings of the X-men seem to so love doing, this is issue focuses on Rogue as she discovers her powers and is brought to the school. This is such a tired gimmick for these scenarios. I understand that Rogue is a good choice to follow as she has a power that limits social interactions and really emphasizes the isolation being a mutant brings, but it has still gotten old and there has to be a more unique way to frame this story.

There are, however, some interesting twists to the typical X-men story to be had here. I enjoyed how The Worthington Foundation was much more a school than Xavier’s ever felt like and it was rather refreshing that the mutants weren’t brandishing their powers all over the place. Instead, no one is aware that anyone else has special abilities to begin with and no one is quite sure why the people at the school are as special as they are told they are. It adds a new appeal to the characters as they all try and keep their secret to themselves. It was also a nice twist that it is Magneto, though he is never called this in the issue, is the head of the school and that Xavier is merely a biology teacher. It’s kind of nice to have Xavier on more of an intimate and closer level to all of the students as opposed to being the headmaster. Beyond these elements, the story is nothing special. Magneto is forming a brotherhood, Logan is a rebel and doesn’t like Scott Summers, and anyone who knows anything about X-men will figure out who Carol Higgins is almost immediately. Yawn. There’s a very “been there, done that” feel to most of this, despite the few tweaks to the formula. The rather bland, uninspired, and sometimes just plain terrible dialogue by author Francesco Artibani doesn’t help this feeling any either.

As I said before, there are two artists, Denis Medri and Roberto di Salvo, on this book and they look almost eerily similar. It’s nice that there is consistency in the changing of artists between chapters, but it just makes me feel like there is no reason for there to have been two artists, or even two chapters, on this book for that matter. It doesn’t help that the art is entirely unremarkable, sometimes bordering on ugly. Out of all the talented artists in Europe, I would’ve hoped Marvel could’ve gone two, but preferably one, other artists to handle duties on this series. On the upside, the characters do actually look like teenagers and not like they’re in their mid-twenties (*cough*Ultimate X-men *cough*).

The tweaks made to the traditional X-men stories made here were interesting enough to bring me back for the second issue when it comes out. I’m really hoping that Artibani will be able to kick the story into a higher gear now that all the characters have been introduced. If he can really focus on what makes this X-men story different and emphasize that, theirs is potential for this book to really become something fresh and that I would want to follow on a monthly basis, despite the artist’s on the book. I just need X-Academy to be different enough to deserve my attention.

Overall: 6.5/10

Modern Comics Review: 7 Psychopaths #1

I have a tendency when reading comic books to stick largely to superhero comic books. It’s not that I think only superhero books are entertaining, it’s just sort of a habit of mine, but one I’ve been trying to break over the last five or so years. As such, I decided to check out 7 Psychopaths and am I ever glad I did! This was one entertaining book with some very strong characterization. Fabien Vehlmann and Sean Phillips are able to take an old concept, using prisoners and others with nothing else to live for to invade World War II Germany for one reason or another and truly invigorate it. In this case, the story is assembling the titular seven psychopaths for a mission to kill Hitler and end the war.

What really brings this story its energy is the truly interesting characters. The leader of the psychopaths, Joshua Goldschmidt, is just so much fun to read. He’s delightfully sarcastic and rude, but you also know he’s the smartest person in the room at any given time and it makes him truly endearing. Even though only five of the members are introduced in this issue, they are all shaping up to be equally fun to read. They range everywhere from a pathological liar and impersonator to a man who believes Hitler is communicating with him telepathically as a means of torture and could definitely make their mission an interesting one once it gets underway. Vehlmann definitely has a great grasp on writing insane people and that is most certainly a compliment.

I think the person I have to give the most praise to, however, is artist Sean Phillips. I really enjoyed his work in Marvel Zombies, but I haven’t gotten around to reading some of his other works so I was worried how well he’d be able to draw a cast of regular humans and he did not disappoint. I could best describe his art in 7 Psychopaths as cartoonishly realistic. All of his characters have a distinct feel to them that makes them feel real. Possibly the highlight of the work though is that each of the psychopaths seem to have some sort or artistic tick that make them seem as though they actually have the problems the reader is told they do. My personal favorite it the goofy smile that team member Willy Wright has on his face perpetually that just screams that he is lying to you and enjoying it at any given time. Phillips war-torn Europe certainly looks the part as well and it looks just plain gorgeous. Considering I read an interview with him saying he had no clue what 1940’s European architecture looked like and had to constantly research it, it looks especially amazing.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, to say the least. I really didn’t know what to expect going into the issue and, honestly, I was kind of expecting to not really like it, but I definitely did. The only real downside is that the plot still feels a little generic in basic concept, but it has every opportunity still to open up and really shatter expectations. If Vehlmann can keep up this level on characterizations and keep the story varied, it could easily become one of my favorite books of the year.

Overall: 9.4/10

Modern Comics Review: Action Comics #890

The various Superman comics are, in my opinion, some of the most inconsistent on the market and, as such, I only follow them when there is a specific new plot that sounds interesting to me. With the introduction of Paul Cornell, an author whose works I have consistently enjoyed, and a new plot that focuses on Lex Luthor of all people, I decided this might just be one of the plots that might interest me enough to check out. The whole New Krypton plot just didn’t appeal to me nearly as much as I’d hoped and War of the Supermen wasn’t quite the ending to that I wanted it to be either, so I was hoping the fresh approach Cornell was bringing would be enough to reignite interest. It’s not quite the draw I had hoped, but it’s certainly not a bad start.

Cornell’s Luthor is an interesting one. It’s sort of like he mixed a little bit of all of Luthor’s personas over the years as he comes across a little bit mad scientist, a little bit business man, and a little bit of sly-tongued politician. This Luthor seems to be trying to control his life a bit more, but having a little difficultly with this, especially as he goes about his quest to regain the power of the various power rings in the DCU, though maybe not the one you expect. Enter Lois Lane to the story; she is here primarily to ground Luthor and try and call him on his various shortcomings so he can try and adjust his personality. Anyone that has ever read Lois Lane in a story will immediately wonder not only why she is shadowing Luthor like this but also why her personality seems just a little…off. At first, I was a little annoyed by the way Lois was handled here, but Cornell takes the smart approach and, instead of dragging out the mystery of this, satisfactorily reveals the reason before the issue ends.

The plot itself is quite a fun one and one that makes sense for Lex Luthor’s character based on his experiences in Blackest Night. His plan gets derailed partway through the issue by a group of villains that are either new or I don’t recognize, but we discover by the end of the issue and it is a familiar, and unexpected, reveal. Easily the most interesting part of the issue was watching Luthor’s interplay with the villains in this issue and his casual method of determining what they want even while being held off the side of a building. Even more so than the hunt for power rings, I’m most excited to see just how Luthor’s quest forces him to play off of other villains. This issue is mostly setup and little action, but that is only to be expected. The biggest shortcoming of the story was Luthor’s imagining of what the world will be like once he gets his power rings. It felt a little over-wrought, even for Lex Luthor, but it’s not a huge problem and it is even lampshaded a bit.

The weakest link of the issue was easily the art of Pete Woods for me. From what I’ve read, there are a lot of people out there that enjoy his artwork, but I’m just not one of them. His artwork just feels simple and a little blocky to me, sometimes bordering on ugly, but it actually wasn’t too big of an issue here. It wasn’t anything special either, but it didn’t distract from the book. Easily his best work in the book is the last page reveal, but it is serviceable throughout.

Ultimately, this was an entertaining read and Luthor’s characterization is strong enough to bring me back for next month’s issue, but the pace needs to be picked up some. It’s not my favorite book by Paul Cornell, but I’ll put my faith in him for another month. I want to be interested in Action Comics again and I’m hoping that this story will become the one to do that.

Overall: 7.4/10

Modern Comics Review: The Flash #3

Easily my most anticipated comic coming out of Blackest Night and into Brightest Day was Geoff Johns’ relaunch of The Flash with Francis Manapul. I admit that I only really started to actively read The Flash after the events of Infinite Crisis but I always made sure to keep an eye on the Flash family as they were easily my favorite heroes in the DC universe. I also have to admit that I had always been a huge Wally West Flash fan as well. This isn’t to say I was against Barry Allen ever returning, but I was a bit apprehensive at Wally losing the limelight upon Barry’s return. As such, I was also a equally wary as I was exciting coming into Johns’ new series.

It’s a testament to John’s skill that in his very first issue he managed to assuage all of my worries of Barry Allen being the lead Flash once again. I was completely pulled into “The Dastardly Death of the Rogues” story from the introduction of the Renegades. It’s an intriguing twist on the idea of the Flash’s rogues gallery from a different angle and helps keep the characters fresh. It’s fun and interesting to see how the Rogues’ various abilities can be enhanced when future tech. The only thing about the story I didn’t really like was how easily and handily for Barry the cliffhanger from last issue was dealt with. It just seemed too lucky for Barry that his department would just to this conclusion, though it could be considered as consistent with how they are apparently not too great at closing cases. It still just didn’t sit right with me though. Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang’s plot continues to develop but it hasn’t really hooked me yet. It just seems too simple and seems to lean on the fact that the people resurrected in Blackest Night now have mysterious powers. I was hoping for a little more to this subplot but it might become more interesting now that it is beginning to intersect with the Renegades’ plot.

Far and away the most impressive part of this issue, as with the previous three, is the gorgeous art by Francis Manapul. How Manapul was able to go as long as he did without becoming a huge star is a mystery to me as he is insanely talented. There’s a wonderful level of detail to every panel he draws and each panel just flow from one to the other. There’s no clutter or confusion to the panels and no two characters ever look the same. His characters actually feel like they are moving at the speed of light and doing so naturally and he is capable of some truly expressive looking faces that really carry emotion. I’ve yet to be able to find a flaw in his art on this series ad I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

The Flash has quickly become one of my most anticipated books and feels like a truly classic, yet modern superhero comic book. Johns’ is making these characters delightfully human and Manapul is really making the book stand out visually. It’s only the ironically slow moving story and some cheap ways out of certain situations to hinder this book. It does not, however, hinder my interest on a month to month basis and continue to look forward to each new issue every month. Let’s hope Johns and Manapul can continue this pace.

Overall: 9.0/10

Modern Comics Review: Young Allies #1

As someone who never had any interest in at all in characters such as Nomad or Araña, I approached Young Allies #1 a little hesitantly. I had a passing knowledge of Gravity from reading Beyond and his string in Fantastic Four but not much other than that, and I’ve had little knowledge or interest in Firestar outside of Spider-man and His Amazing Friends. I’m not entirely sure what drew me to check this book out but, surprisingly, I’m rather happy I did. Sean McKeever has managed to assemble a truly eclectic team and what could have been a terribly boring book into a potentially interesting one.

In typical fashion, McKeever crafts a tale that inadvertently brings together a new team of heroes ranging from the high school to graduate school age. In order to do this, McKeever creates an all-new team of young villains to wreak havoc. Part of what drew me into this title was how instantly recognizable these new villains, who have the delightfully tongue-in-cheek name of “The Bastards of Evil,” are. I’ll admit, when they were first introduced, I was annoyed at how easy it was to identify which villains were the parents of the members of the Bastards, but it becomes quickly apparent that McKeever never had any intention of keeping this a secret even comes out and directly says who a few of the parents are.

The story does an admirable job of making each of the Young Allies likeable, even Nomad who I truly despised in her role as Bucky in the Heroes Reborn Captain America book. That’s a testament to the handling of these characters, even if Nomad and Araña have occasionally similar voices. I do have to say that I have little interest in the new hero Toro, but he’s also not unlikeable and could become a much better character with some more screen time. It’s only natural that he would be less developed as he doesn’t have the established history the other characters do.

What’s most refreshing, surprisingly, is the story. It isn’t dumbed down for a teenage audience. It seems like a fairly basic story at first but one that takes an unexpectedly mature turn at the end. I, for one, hope this sticks and makes a lasting impression on the book and isn’t used as just a shocking cliffhanger. It could really anchor the book and make for some interesting stories. It certainly helped to endear me to the new character Warhead more than I ever thought I would. So far, he seems to be the most interesting of Bastards, so hopefully he’ll get some more time to shine.

For me, the biggest downside of the issue was the art by David Baldeón. He comes across like a less-talented David Lafuente, a problem that is only highlighted by Lafuente-drawn cover to the comic. Baldeón isn’t bad per se, but it just feels obvious that he was being pushed as a substitute for Lafuente in this issue. The art is occasionally muddy and sometimes just unappealing but ultimately doesn’t hinder the story. I hope to see Baldeón come more into his own as the series progresses and don’t necessarily want him off the book.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It drew me in enough to continue checking it out, at least for the next few issues. There is potential for a truly fun book here and I hope to see that potential reached. Sean McKeever has been hit-or-miss recently, but he has some good material to work with here and I’d like to be able to classify it as a hit.

Overall: 7.8/10

Modern Comics Review: Green Arrow #1

Before I review Green Arrow #1, I should probably say that I haven’t read a whole lot of Green Arrow in the past. It wasn’t a book that ever really drew me in, though I will admit to having liked character in various other books I’ve read him in, just not enough to delve into his various series. After the events of Justice League: Cry For Justice and The Rise and Fall Special, I decided that, with a new number one, this might be a more accessible time to break into the series. To be clear, I also have to say that I am not one of the seemingly rare fans of Cry for Justice and the events that have spun out of it. I personally found it a terrible series that was unnecessarily violent and butchered many characters (some literally). However, I didn’t want this to stop me from checking out Green Arrow #1, as I help out hope that maybe J.T. Krul would be able to do more justice (no pun intended) for the character with a new status quo.

In that regard, I’ll just say that Krul is making some progress. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a good book, but it is improving. This is a relatively easy entry point for character of Green Arrow, provided you know of the events of Cry for Justice and the Star City Forest growth in Brightest Day. Green Arrow has taken up residence in the forest as its “Robin Hood,” something Krul’s script is not willing to let you forget as there a frequent references to this, some even straight up calling Ollie such. It’s kind of a tired comparison and it is entirely overplayed here.

However, I could overlook that in the face of a truly good story. Though this story lacks much originality, it has some promise to become entertaining and for some reason, I have an interest in the new owner of Oliver Queen’s old company. What I couldn’t get past though was the unnecessary violence used especially in the early pages. I understand that Green Arrow has gone through a traumatic experience and is re-hauling his methods but his violence seemed out of place and there was no need for anyone’s nose ring to get shot off with an arrow. It came off as violence for violence’s sake and ultimately detracted from the book.

As much as I disliked the violence, I found myself, for the most part, enjoying the art. Diogenes Neves art style reminds me of a cross between Rags Morales and Scott Kolins and that is not necessarily a bad thing. It seems significantly more detailed at times than others and this can be a little disarming, but overall his art, aside for the blood, is fairly enjoyable.

As I said at the beginning, Green Arrow is not a good book, but it also wasn’t a terrible one. There is potential in the story and the art is likeable so I plan to continue following the book for at least the next few months as it could prove to be an entertaining read. The more Krul can distance himself from Cry for Justice the better and he certainly seems to be improving this regard. If he could tone down the violence and the sometimes extreme portrayal Green Arrow himself, Krul could turn this book around and make it a good book.

Overall Score: 6.0/10