Thursday, March 25, 2010

Greg's Comic Book Reviews for the Week of March 24, 2010


This week was a good-sized week (8 Marvel, 4 DC/Wildstorm and 1 indies) with lots of left over from last week to catch up on. Overall this was a good week with eight good titles, one bad (disappointing) title and two really unreadable books. Unfortunately, both unreadables were from Blackest Night.


The Reading Order

March 24, 2010

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL # 1

NEMESIS # 1

CAPT AMERICA # 604

THOR # 608

AVENGERS INITIATIVE # 34


March 25, 2010

NEW AVENGERS# 63

MIGHTY AVENGERS # 35

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM # 10

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #46

GREEN LANTERN # 52

GUILD # 1


The UNREAD (from this week and previous weeks)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN #625

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 626

GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #1

SUPERMAN # 698

STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS # 5 OF 5 FINALE

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #1

BRAVE AND BOLD #32

SPIDER WOMAN #7

AZRAEL #6

SHIELD #7

IRREDEEMABLE #12


The Good

STREETS OF GOTHAM #10 (w: Paul Dini/a: Dustin Nguyen) picks up the trail of the Zsasz’s twisted orphan arena. Dini & Nguyen continue to tell the very best Batman (and now Robin) story on the shelves in the last year. A new character is introduced and Robin gets to take center stage for a while. The Manhunter Second-Feature (w: Marc Andreyko/a: Jeremy Haun) also remains the only “second-feature” worth reading in the DC stable. Overall, Streets of Gotham #10 does more with the current Batman Mythos than all the rest of the Bat-titles on sale this month put together. And Batman doesn’t even make an appearance (flashbacks don’t count!) Grade: A+ (story: A/art: A, back-up story: A)


MIGHTY AVENGERS # 35 (w: Dan Slott/a: Koi Pham). When I first picked up Mighty Avengers #35, I quickly remembered the last issue and was heart-stricken. Over the past four months, MA had been a very enjoyable read. Last month, things kind of went south. Quickly, Slott & Pham recovered and put together another excellent issue. Mighty Avengers isn’t for the everyday fan. If you need Deadpool, Spider-man, Wolverine or Iron Man to be in the comic you are going to be disappointed. On the other hand, Mighty Avengers makes more than the best of “supporting” characters (Hank Pym included), and renders a title that is not only enjoyable every month, but holds together across story arcs. Despite the “Siege” banner, this really isn’t a Siege book, unless you call intentionally ignoring the whole thing important to the “Siege-continuity”. Still that doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of Mighty Avengers #35. Grade: B+ (story: B+/art: B+)


CAPTAIN AMERICA #604 (w: Ed Brubaker/ a: Luke Ross & Butch Guice). The Two Captain Americas storyline is a good Captain America story, even if the Cap in costume is the bad guy. When you’ve got three Captain Americas running around, one of them is bound to be a bad seed! Seriously though, the Two Captains storyline is just a good comic story. It isn’t a grand mega-event, it isn’t any kind of Crisis, and it’s just a good comic story. And in Captain America #604, the Watchdog’s plot is unveiled, Cap & Cap face-off (sort of), and Sam Wilson (the Falcon) steals the show. Grade: B+ (story: B+/art: B)


NEMESIS #1 (w: Mark Millar/a: Steve McNiven) Some might say there is a reason why no one has successfully written a story about a villain you’ve never heard of, doing things (even really imaginative things) to people you have no invested interest in. And then attach the names “Millar/McNiven” and suddenly you have a highly-anticipated best seller. A little cross-company rivalry doesn’t hurt (remember when DC got mad because “Nemesis” was described as what if the Joker were Batman? Or something like that?). Nemsis #1 reads like Millar went home after seeing Dark Knight Returns, called McNiven and cooked up these cool storyboards. And then started filling in story. Of course, hot off the heels of his successful film debut (Wanted) and on the precipice of the much-anticipated release of the film version of Millar’s Kick-Ass, can you really blame him? Nemesis is okay. It’s a story about a really cool villain, doing awesome villain stuff to people you barely care about. There’s a plot (sort of), but the story is lacking the “ooh I can’t wait” factor that you’ve probably come to expect from Millar. McNiven’s art, is of course, fabulous. Grade: B (story: B-/art: A)


GUILD # 1 (w: Felicia Day/a: Jim Rugg) is only interesting if you’re a fan of Day’s web-series The Guild, which I suppose goes without saying. It should be mentioned that if you were not a fan of The Guild and picked this up to see what all the hullaballoo was about, stop and go watch The Guild. The mini-series is a prologue to the web-isodes, but really requires the webies to be interesting. Though it is kind of funny that right in the middle of Cyd creating her avatar’s image, there’s this iconic image of Buffy (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in an ad where the next panel would be. All in all, if you bought the book because you’re a fan of the Guild (or Day), you’ll like it – if not, you’ll never buy another one. I am a fan of the Guild (and Ms. Day), Grade: B (story: B/art: C)


THOR #608 (w: Kieron Gillen/a: Billy Tan & Batt and Rich Elson) isn’t as interesting as Thor has been recently. And Thor #608 doesn’t live up to the on-going Siege storyline. The Asgardians are interesting as support characters, but filling a whole comic with them in the middle of a huge battle where the Avengers and Thor are just around corner makes an intentionally non-interesting comic. Clor (Ragnorok) doesn’t really make the story any better. Overall, if you forgot to read (buy) Thor #608 the only thing that would suffer would be the continuous numbering in your collection (but you’d be $3 richer!). Grade: C (story: C/art: C-)


AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #34 (w: Christos Gage/a: Jorge Molina). The Initiative has been and continues to be a character-driven ancillary title to the principle events of Dark Reign & Siege. While Initiative #34 takes place mostly around the events of Siege #3, the best parts of the issue are very Initiative-centric. For example the Tigra/Night Thrasher v. Taskmaster battle and Penance subplot pay off nicely (and almost satisfactorily), while the (unfortunate) soap opera-ish romance between Constrictor and Diamondback leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger. Grade: B (story: B/art: B+)


NEW AVENGERS# 63 (w: Brian Michael Bendis/a: Mike McKone) is one part classic Bendis page-consuming dialogue and one part all-out action. Bendis has mastered the art of writing for Spidey in action (though I think if he ever tried to really write Peter’s personal life we’d end up with 20 pages of twenty-somethings standing in an office or coffee shop and two pages of Spider-man month after month) and Marvel (Bendis?) has done a really good job of taking single issues of Siege and jamming a bunch of monthly titles into the same moment of time without diluting the Siege story or re-telling the exact same thing over and over. The Siege parts of New Avengers #63 is really good. About one half of the Luke Cage/Jessica Drew and one half of the Clint Barton/Bobbi Mockingbird (no, I don’t know/care what her last name is… let’s go with “Barton”) hero-mances is useful, the rest is just “Friends”-sy dialogue and banter that fills up to many panels. Grade: B- (story: C+/art: B+)


The Bad

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE OF ARSENAL # 1 (w: J.T. Krul/a: Geraldo Borges). There is a lot of recapping still going on in the “Rise and Fall” series. Rise of Arsenal #1 starts with a pretty good recap of Roy’s maiming, but then covers all the ground that all the other R&F issues have, without adding much to the re-telling. Roy’s rough path may seem contrived and predictable, but is also believable. His quick-rebound and back-to-his-feet and fighting exercise is definitely hurried and while maybe a natural reaction, seems shocking after last week the Titans weren’t even sure he was going to make it. Dr. Midnite’s struggles with the “nano-infection” (or whatever) is too much of a stretch too, Roy nails it on the head when he besieges Dinah with accusations that the JLA should be doing more for Lian (and him and Ollie, etc.), like they did with Sue Dinby. The least they could do is conjure up a sorcerer or maybe Mr. Terrrific or Steel or some other super scientist/machinist to look at the nanites, but I’m sure the good Doc will do just fine. Look, he’s already got Roy up and running. Overall, the story is disappointing – more in its execution than its plot and Borges art is unremarkable. Grade: C- (story: C/art: C-)


The Unreadable

Green Lantern Corps #46 (w: Peter Tomasi/a: Patrick Gleason). More meaningless (but colorful) stuff happens. More bad things happen to Green Lanterns that no really needs to care about (think how long Kyle Rayner was dead or Guy was a Red Lantern) and there’s more “sentimental” visits from beloved dead ones (because the last seven months of that wasn’t enough). The Anti-Monitor is back and that is apparently a big deal and then he isn’t (back that is). Guy comes up with a plan and cites the episode from Star Trek (the Original Series) that he got the idea from. Which is kind of appropriate for the Green Lantern series, you remember Star Trek (TOS), the one where they would start somewhere do a bunch of stuff and end up right back at the same place? When all is said and done, you can’t help but imagine that the Green Lantern Corps series is going be more or less in the same place it was before Blackest Night started. At least that’s how far it’s gone so far. On the other hand, Gleason’s art is phenomenal (but not worth $2.99 I paid $3.99!!! For this!!! Now that was a bad idea).


GREEN LANTERN #52 (w: Geoff Johns/a: Doug Mahnke) Don’t miss John’s colorful take on Genesis (of the Biblical sense). Well, okay maybe you want to skip it. So, if you read last year’s (was it last year?) end of Secret Invasion and beginning of Dark Reign, and you saw the classic Spider-Man villain (Norman Osborn aka the Green Goblin) become the “Iron Patriot” and take over S.H.I.E.L.D., you’ve read Green Lantern #52. Of course in this very poorly done drama, the part of Norman Osborn is being played by Sinestro. It would be good to think that DC (or Johns) is going to turn this whole thing around, but there really hasn’t been any recent evidence to support that hare-brained delusion.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Greg's Comic Reviews for the Week of March 17, 2010


Last week was a good-sized week of comics and a huge week for not reading them (sorry). 5 Marvel, 7 DC/Wildstorm and 2 indies came home, but unfortunately only four made it through the meat-grinder of my brain.


The Reading Order

March 17, 2010

SEIGE #3

HERCULES: FALL OF AN AVENGER #1

GREEN ARROW #31

TITANS #23



Unread - Hyperlinks will be provided as these are reviewed.

AMAZING SPIDERMAN #625

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #1

GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #1

BRAVE AND BOLD #32

SPIDER WOMAN #7

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #46

AZRAEL #6

SHIELD #7


IRREDEEMABLE #12


The Good

SIEGE #3 (w: Brian Michael Bendis/a: Oliver Coipel) It is hard to follow up a great issue, Siege #2 was a great comic. Siege #3 does a good job bridging the drama that has been building all around the Marvel U for the past few months and sets up the climatic end to Siege/Dark Reign and the Heroic Age. As it should be, the Big Three Marvel-style: Captain America, Thor and Iron Man steal the show, even if the best panel of the book is reserved for Spider-Man. Overall, the Siege plot is contrived and derivative and the “surprise twist” really isn’t that much of a surprise. On the other hand it is astronomically better than Blackest Night. Coipel’s artwork stands out and lives up to the tradition set by Civil War and Secret Invasion. Grade: B+ (story: B/art: A).


GREEN ARROW #31 (w: J.T. Krul/a: Federico Dallocchio) continues Green Arrow’s mission of vengeance. The story picks up after the Fall of Green Arrow one-shot, almost a little too immediately. “Fall” has a great, sneaky, surprising ending, which unfortunately dies an unceremonious death while Krul recaps all the events that led up to “Rise and Fall”. Ollie’s decline takes a few more twists as this series drives onward. All in all, Green Arrow #31 is an interesting peek at the story from Green Arrow’s point-of-view, with a very interesting (if not a bit sad – in a good way) twist at the end. Grade: B (story: B/art: B).


TITANS #23 (w: Eddie Berganza/a: Scott Clark & Ardian Syaf) Was excellent. A larger review will be forthcoming. Grade: B (story: B/art: B)


DARK AVENGERS #15 (w: Brian Michael Bendis/a: Mike Deodato) Even as Dark Reign draws to its inevitable conclusion in Siege, Dark Avengers continues to be a decent read on its own. Bullseye, pardon me: Hawkeye gets to do some work and we get to see firsthand what has been lurking in the background for some time now. Like Siege, it isn’t really surprising, and hasn’t been really well done. Of course, Dark Avengers #15, like the whole of Norman’s empire now hinges on Sentry – a limited character, derivative of every other wanna-be Superman that was “retcon-ed” into the history of the Marvel Universe a couple decades ago. Even as a an ancillary story to Seige, Dark Avengers #15 advances the coming of Marvel’s Heroic Age. Grade: B (story: B/art: C+).


Not So Good

HERCULES: FALL OF AN AVENGER #1 (w: Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente/a:Ariel Olivetti). The title “Fall of An Avenger” implies that an Avenger might actually fall in the series. Regrettably, the action happens prior the start of the two-issue mini-series. Probably might have been better to make this series “Hercules: Requiem”, but what can you do. Once you get past the idea that the Avenger has already fallen the rest of the story is a moderately interesting re-cap of a second-rate superhero (Herclues). Each vignette is a narrated by a different character from the Marvel U, Pak & Van Lente (whom I would guess pulls the lion’s share of this deed) do a good job lending personality to the introductions – even if it is a little heavy handed at times. Olivetti’s artwork adds a lot to the otherwise mediocre character-defining episodes from Herc’s past. There’s a thin plot of some kind that that is weaved around the shorts, but requires you to have been reading the Incredible Hercules to follow (Pak’s handiwork I’m sure). Grade: C- (story: D/art: B).

Monday, March 15, 2010

Greg's Comic Reviews for the week of March 10, 2010



It was a very sparse week! Only six titles (2 Marvel, 4 DC/Wildstorm) came home, making it a good time to catch up on some titles from last week. The combination yielded a surprisingly rewarding haul of reading material, as none of the books were really “bad” and most were actually pretty good.


The Reading Order

March 10, 2010

JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL SPECIAL # 1

BATMAN AND ROBIN # 10

PUNISHERMAX # 5

GREEN ARROW #30 (from last week)

DETECTIVE COMICS # 862 (from last week)

PUNISHER-MAX: BUTTERFLY (from last week)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 623 (from last week)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 624


March 13, 2010

GREEN HORNET #1

BATGIRL # 8

RED ROBIN # 10



Good

JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL SPECIAL # 1 (w: J.T. Krul/ a: Mike Mayhew). Is a serious comic, picking up the plot immediately after the events of Cry for Justice. The Rise and Fall series, featuring the changing of the guard for Green Arrow and Roy Harper, is not reading like your typical DCU mini-series. The seriousness, the mature-reader content, the super heroes acting like grown-ups and not guys in tights is a marked departure from “Crisis This” and “Crisis That”. There is, without a question, a crisis going on here, but it is a crisis of trust, expectations and consequences. No Darkseid, no zombies (thank goodness), really no super villain threat whatsoever. There are villains, there are plenty of action scenes, but the story launched from Cry for Justice is without a question the “Bendis-ization” of the DCU: a plot that develops as much through characters having conversations as it does fists and super powers. For the “Pop Culture” generation (those of us who grew up with these heroes in the 70s and 80s), this storyline is a welcome step forward for the DCU. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)


PUNISHERMAX # 5 (w: Jason Aaron/a: Steve Dillon). The Kingpin storyline concludes in an ultra-violent, almost anti-climatic finish. Of course, given the frenetic pace of the first four issues, it would be hard to expect the conclusion to take the story up a notch. The emergence of the Kingpin and the set-up of the upcoming Bullseye arc promises more Ennis-like punishment for Castle. Grade: A (story: A/art: B+)


PUNISHER MAX: BUTTERFLY one-shot (w: Valerie D’Orazio/a: Laurence Campbell) is a great example why one-shots exist. D’Orazio & Campbell tell a dark, gritty tale right out of CSI: Miami. Butterfly tells the classic tale of a hitman looking to make that one last kill before slipping out of the business. Campbell’s artwork is suitably dark and in the Maleev-style of realistic to carry the tone of the story. You hardly miss the Punisher, until he shows up. Grade: B+ (story: B+/art: B+)


BATMAN AND ROBIN # 10 (w: Grant Morrison/a: Andy Clarke) could have been the death kneel for the series and a bad harbinger for the upcoming Return of Bruce Wayne. Mercifully, it wasn’t. Apparently there was something relevant in the last storyline in Batman & Robin that leads directly into the new one that starts in Batman and Robin #10. There really is no mystery to the Return of Bruce Wayne, there hasn’t been since the end of Final Crisis. Tim Drake has been blathering about it since he went all Red Robin. There was a lot waiting to go wrong with the return of Bruce Wayne, but Morrison and Clarke initiate the upcoming multi-issue arc effectively and entertainingly. Grade: B (story: B/art: B)


AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 623 & 624 (w: Mark Waid with Tom Peyer/a: Paul Azaceta with Javier Rodriguez). There are more villains to torment Spidey as the Gauntlet finally begins to pick-up the pace. If you aren’t familiar with the new (or latest) Vulture, this arc is a good place to get acquainted with him. Waid hits his stride, as the Gauntlet begins to take its toll, wearing poor Peter Parker into making a bad decision which ultimately takes center stage. More than a collected whole, the “Gauntlet” storyline has been a decent to great collection of Spider-man stories. Azaceta (and Rodriguez)’s artwork continues to give the Gauntlet a nostalgic-feel, but is a step down from previous performances. Grade: B (story: B/art: C+)


GREEN HORNET #1 (w: Kevin Smith/a: Jonathan Lau with Phil Hester) is hard to judge as a single-issue, in so much that it is clearly the very first chapter (really a prologue) of a much longer story. A few years ago “Issue Zeroes” were the big thing, Green Hornet #1 is really much more like Green Hornet #0, mostly back-story setting up on the very beginning of the Green Hornet saga. It is a good start, not a great start, but better than expected. Grade: B (story: B/art: B)


BATGIRL #8 (w: Bryan Q. Miller/a: Talent Caldwell) and Red Robin #10 (w: Chris Yost/a: Marcus To). This crossover reunites young Tim Drake (now Red Robin) and Stephanie Brown (Batgirl) under the Gotham skies. The worst part of the Stephanie Brown character is that she has always come off as pointless. At the best she was a weak supporting character for Tim Drake who always came off as too much like a teenage girl and not enough like a teenage super hero. As Batgirl (the series) has progressed, so has Brown been developed as an effective character (Batgirl). This observation is poignant because throughout this crossover, Brown falls back into “the old role” and to some extent so does Tim. However right before they “jump the shark”, Miller works his magic and Brown morphs in to Batgirl right before your eyes. The interaction between Brown & Drake are not just set-up for the validity of the new Batgirl, but also helps to re-establish the absolutely bat-guano quest that Drake has been on for the better part of the year. The actual plot (more League of Assassin intrigue) is lukewarm at best, with the highlights of both books occurring behind the scenes or in the subplots. Grade: B (story: B-/art: B)


GREEN ARROW #30 (w: J.T. Krul/a: Diogenes Neves) is a better than average Blackest Night installment. Revolving around Oliver Queen’s return from the dead from a few years back, the supporting cast is faced with a Black Lantern Green Arrow. Neves’ art is a high point and the plot captures the elements that tie each of the supporting cast to the title, while telling a pointed story. Alone, Green Arrow #30 is a good read, great by Blackest Night standards, but put up against other current (Oliver Queen) events like Cry for Justice (and Rise and Fall), you are left wondering why you bothered to read this issue. Grade: B- (story:B-/art: B)


DETECTIVE COMICS #862 (w: Greg Rucka/a: Jock) is Batman (and Batwoman) meets Criminal Minds (the TV show), in a good way – sort of. The serial killer story arc is nicely done. Jock’s artwork isn’t going to make anyone forget about J.H. Williams III anytime soon, but despite being inconsistent throughout the issue, does the job. The big problem with the story is Batman. Without Dick, this is a pretty good Batwoman story arc. Batman’s presence doesn’t really add anything that they couldn’t accomplish with Batwoman and wind up having Batman being thrown around like a hack-amateur. Grade: C (story: B-/art: C)