Greg's Comic Book Reviews for the Week of April 21, 2010

This week was another big week! 18 titles (9 Marvel, 7 DC/Wildstorm and 2 indie). Almost half of the haul were good reads and most of those were really good. There were a few (predictable) dogs in the batch and a handful of surprising disappointments. Most remarkably, the Second Coming X-men Crossover event continues to be very strong. Shockingly the X-Factor “tie-in” issue was the best of the best this week.

Enjoy!

The Reading Order

GREEN LANTERN # 53

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 44

SIEGE: SPIDER-MAN # 1

BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM # 11

BRAVE AND BOLD # 33

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 628

DARK WOLVERINE #85

X-FACTOR # 204

X-MEN LEGACY # 235

IRON MANUAL MARK 3 # 1

GUILD # 2

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS # 6

SPIRIT # 1

The Unread

KATO ORIGINS #1

AZRAEL # 7

AMERICAN VAMPIRE # 2

MARVELOUS LAND OF OZ # 5

DARK TOWER: BATTLE OF JERICHO HILL # 5

The Cream of the Crop

X-FACTOR # 204 (w: Peter David/a: Valentine De Landro). Wow. Every once in a while you read a comic that reminds you just how good Peter David really is. X-Factor #204 is one of those books. You don’t have to know what’s been going on in X-Factor. Heck, you don’t even really need to know who all the characters in the book are to enjoy this comic. I wouldn’t necessarily call X-Factor #204 a “jumping on” point… depending on how the ending of this issue resolves itself, but there are worse titles you could start reading this month than X-Factor. The premise is simple, the bad guys hire X-Factor in order to lead them into a trap. What you don’t expect is how the bad guys got to that “simple conclusion” or the surprise super villain who saves the day (at least temporarily). Oh yeah and X-Factor #204 is an ancillary title to the X-Men: Second Coming MegaEpic. Take note DC editors, this is how an ancillary title should be done. Never mind, even if you did read this you’d still put out Kind of Bleak Afternoon next. Grade: A+ (story: A+/art: A)

The Good

BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM # 11 (w: Paul Dini/a: Dustin Nguyen) wraps up the long-running Mr. Zsasz storyline. While Grant Morrison may be the “reputed Batman creator” of this era, not enough credit goes Dini for his investment in the character. Dini’s career dates back to the seminal Batman: The Animated Series and since then he has carved out an almost incomparable body of work on the Caped Crusader. Dini gets it. He gets the Batman legacy, he gets the individual characters and he even gets the villains. He moves these characters into new (and yet, oh-so appropriate) situations and then deftly writes his way out of it. As the Zsasz story arc wraps up, we are introduced to “Colin” who in Dini’s hands is a clever turn of the classic Mr. Hyde (Hulk) concept. The Manhunter (w: Marc Andreyko/a: Jeremy Haun) also remains a satisfying back-up feature. Grade: A+ (story: A+/art: A)

X-MEN LEGACY # 235 (w: Mike Carey/ a: Greg Land). X-Men: Second Coming, Chapter Four. Now this is war. Even if you hadn’t been reading X-men before Second Coming, this MegaEvent is a real treat. The story is tight, the subplots are compelling and most importantly the series is accessible (I think just about anyone who reads comics will enjoy it). In a lot of ways, Second Coming is a throwback to the old X-Crossovers of the 80’s, in the best ways. In X-Men Legacy #235, someone dies, someone gets maimed and Warlock makes a big decision. The plot moves swiftly and a villain gets their due. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)

BRAVE AND BOLD # 33 (w: J. Michael Straczynski/a: Cliff Chiang). JMS’s regular penciler on B&B takes a break and Chiang fills in admirably in a story set on the eve of one of the most important events in the DCU of the last twenty years (22 actually, yes I looked it up). What seems like one of those ridiculous, pointless and inane “heroes night out” turns out to be wrought with portent and substance. JMS’ dialogue is remarkable and Chiang’s artwork is a terrific compliment to the issue. There are some absolutely fantastic moments (the Jedi mind trick for example) and some really clever scripting, worthy of “The Big Bang Theory”. There are a couple anachronisms, but it’s a comic… and if those spoil this comic for you, then comics may not be the right medium for your entertainment. While I am not a fan of ret-con tales that muck with really quality stories, where and how this story fits into DCU continuity is harmless and even enjoyable. If you’re chomping at the bit to see JMS’ Wonder Woman re-launch in a few months, this is good place to scratch that itch. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)

THE SPIRIT #1 (w: Mark Schultz/a: Moritat) is more like (than Doc Savage) what you might expect the First Wave titles to be like. The setting is stylized-50s-ish both in written dialogue and illustrations. The story is simple and straightforward, but wrought with a myriad of characters and the undertones of developing subplots. Moritat’s art is on one hand an homage to the era of the Spirit and on the other is derivative of Frank Miller’s early (think Dark Knight Returns or Daredevil: Elektra graphic novel). The back-up story (w: Denny O’Neil/a: Bill Sienkiewicz) might be well done, but is hard to take visually. (Sorry, Mr. Sienkiewicz, you are still one of the great masters). Grade: B (story: B/art: B+)

DARK WOLVERINE #85 (w: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu/a: Stephen Segovia). Even if you don’t know the Romulus back story (I don’t) and aren’t sure why Daken is walking around after his stint as “Dark Wolverine” (surely there’s a good reason… maybe he died, went back into the past and… oh wait, that would be someones else), Dark Wolverine is a pretty good comic. There is an awful lot of leaning and talking, sitting in the dark and talking, having coffee and talking, but the story moves pretty well despite that (because of it). Just when you think there’s not enough action in the comic, there’s just enough action to make it all pay off. Of course, the last time I got hooked by a final splash page of a Dark Wolverine comic it all turned out to be some cruel ruse. Grade: B- (story: B/art: C+)

ULTIMATE AVENGERS #6 (w: Mark Millar/a: Carlos Pacheco). The “Next Generation” story arc wraps up in explosive fashion. The Red Skull/Avengers battle is well done, but as had been the case, the Captain America/Red Skull sub-plot is the real winning hand. While Ultimate Avengers has been an introduction to Nick Fury’s new team, they aren’t really all that interesting which is plainly revealed throughout Ultimate Avengers #6. A satisfying ending to the first story-arc, not enough to tease the next one though. Grade: B- (story: B-/art: B)

IRON MANUAL MARK 3 #1 is obviously a companion to the Handbook to the Marvel Universe, updated with all the latest Iron Man goodness you might want, except for perhaps an entry for the Mandarin. Mercifully, I now know why James Rhodes is no longer a cyborg. You know, I think I liked not knowing better. Grade: You can’t grade encyclopedias. Worth buying? Eh, maybe, if you’re an Iron Man fan or want to be an Iron Man fan.

The Disappointing

SIEGE: SPIDER-MAN # 1 (w: Brian Reed/ a: Marco Santucci) did not live up to the hype (well, that I gave it), but wasn’t a bad comic. It certainly isn’t the way anyone would have predicted the way this long awaited confrontation between Spider-man and Dark Spider-man (Venom) would have unfolded. There is a very clever twist in the middle (albeit a little ridiculous… add suspension of disbelief here and it goes down easier) and the rest kind of goes downhill from there. Siege: Spider-Man is more like a brick in the road, than an actual conclusion to the Spider-man and Dark Spider-man saga. Grade: C (story: C+/art: C)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 628 (w: Roger Stern/a: Lee Weeks) continues the Captain Universe versus Juggernaut, with Spidey in the middle story arc. With Stern at the helm it is no surprise that Amazing Spider-Man #628 reads like one of those “bad guy chases Spidey around New York” stories from the `70s. There aren’t any new tricks to that old dog of a story and we don’t get anywhere with the identity of Captain Universe or why he hates the Juggernaut so much. The back-up feature (w: Mark Waid & Tom Peyer/a: Todd Nauck) is so much pointless filler, that it strains the imagination that it took both Waid & Peyer to put this together. Overall, the Spider-man/Juggernaut/Captain Universe story isn’t bad, but doesn’t distinguish itself from the competition like the rest of the Gauntlet has over the last few months. Grade: C- (story: C-/art: C)

THE GUILD #2 (w: Felicia Day/a: Jim Rugg). It is painful to put this comic in the “disappointing” section, but what makes “the Guild” cool is you can enjoy it without a summary knowledge of WoW or whatever imaginary MMORPG the Guildies are playing. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the comic. If you can relate to the MMORPG Guild #2 is probably pretty amusing. The characters are written, as you would expect in the same “character” that they appear on the show. But otherwise, it is less interesting.

The Bad

Look! No "Bad" titles! That's a good thing! Unfortunately...

The Unreadable

GREEN LANTERN # 53 (w: Geoff Johns/ a: Doug Mahnke) is an extended epilogue for Blackest Night/prologue to Brightest Day.

Something good: There are actually two good things about Green Lantern #53 (and it’s still unreadable, can you believe that?). As he has for the past six months, Sinestro steals the show. In GL #53 Sinestro puts a very definitive end to a completely irrational, reckless and stupid exercise of flirting with jet planes. Thank you Sinestro.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 44 (w: James Robinson/a: Mark Bagley) mixes Robinson & Bagley’s downward spiraling JLA arc, the JSA and Brightest Day. What could go wrong? The plot, the pencils, you name it – JLA #44 is an unmitigated disaster. JLA #44 tries desperately to pull together a coherent plot and has too many splash-pages for its own good. Robinson’s dialogue (which is usually one of his strong suits) is forced and crammed into gratuitous action sequences. And it is a good thing that the JLA has a “Kitchen” because the Danger Room has worked out so well for the X-men. Kind of like the Enterprise’s holodeck.

Something good: JLA #44 strains the concept that there is something good in every comic. I was ready to suggest you borrow one of the good things from GL #53 and pretend it goes here, when I decided on Congo Bill. Id’ say more, but we’re going to just leave it at… the big, talking, orange simian is the best part of JLA #44. Which is to say I’d rather have you kick me in the leg than poke me in the eye.

Greg's Comic Reviews for the Week of March 31, 2010

This week was a good-sized week with 12 titles coming home (4 Marvel, 5 DC/Wildstorm and 3 indies) and still a lot of left over from previous weeks to catch up on. While there were a lot of good stories (especially Amazing Spider-man), there were a few colossal disappointments.

This week there’s also something a little different.

It occurred to me, after reading the first two DC titles (Blackest Night and JLA) that no matter how bad I think these titles are (Blackest Night for example), I keep reading them. And reading them. So there must be something good going on here. At least, if nothing good, there must be something to take away that is positive. With that, “unreadable” or “really bad” books are now going to come with a “Something good” section. Always looking on the bright side, that’s what we’re here for.

Enjoy!

The Reading Order

BLACKEST NIGHT # 8

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 43

FANTASTIC FOUR # 577

TERMINATOR # 1

AMAZING SPIDERMAN #625 (from 3/17/10)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 626 (from 3/24/10)

AMAZING SPIDERMAN # 627

GREEN HORNET YEAR ONE #1 (from 3/17/10)

KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET # 2

THE WEB #7

X-MEN: SECOND COMING # 1

The UNREAD (from this week and previous weeks)

DETECTIVE COMICS # 863

SUPERMAN # 698

STAND: SOUL SURVIVORS # 5

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #1

BRAVE AND BOLD #32

SPIDER WOMAN #7

AZRAEL #6

SHIELD #7

IRREDEEMABLE #12

ADVENTURE COMICS # 512

INCORRUPTIBLE # 4

TALISMAN #5

Good

X-MEN: SECOND COMING CHAPTER 0NE (w: Craig Kyle & Chris Yost/a: David Finch). With few exceptions (like Whedon’s Astonishing), it has been over a decade since an “X-“ title has made it to the pull-list. The promos for Second Coming fetched enough attention to warrant picking up Second Coming Chapter One (the introductory one-shot) and giving it a shot. That being said, you don’t have to know much (anything?) about what’s going on in the X-verse to enjoy this book.

Kyle & Yost’s story is a good jumping off point for both new readers and the crossover. Similarly to the reunion of the Avengers over in the “Heroic Age” event, Second Coming is the culmination of storylines that have been going on since House of M (some even before). There are some *hold your breath* moments or story elements like Namor as an X-man or Cyclops’ little temper tantrum that cause the involuntary face-scrunch, but overall Second Coming Chapter One has a solid plot, sub-plots and a lot of good use of specific characters (X-23 for example). Most importantly it leaves you wanting more. Grade: A (story: B+/art: A)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #625 (w: Joe Kelly/a: Max Fiumara) features the old Rhino versus the new Rhino to the bitter end. The Rhino story-arc comes to a crashing conclusion in Amazing #625, which reads like a story ripped right out of Law & Order (TV show). Kelly tells a fantastic comic-book story intermixed with modern “human drama” that actually ties directly into the Kraven/Gauntlet subplot. Fiumara’s art sets the tone for the New York-Immigrant and “assuming of destiny” storyline, even if it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #626 (w: Fred Van Lente/a: Michael Gaydos) is a stand-alone story (with a Gauntlet sub-plot) featuring the Hood and the new Scorpion. Van Lente is quickly becoming one of my favorite Marvel writers and Amazing #626 is a great example of his craft. The jury is still out on the Hood, who has never really managed to live up to his “new Kingpin” hype. Even with the Norn Stones and the power of Loki behind him, he too often comes off as contrived and silly. Issues like Amazing #626 leave the Hood more like an over-rated Hammerhead and less like the Kingpin, second-rate all the way. The real star of Amazing #626 is the new Scorpion. If you’d never heard of her before (that’s right, her), don’t worry, neither had I. Van Lente & Gaydos deliver a very well executed tale that manages to wrap her origin neatly in about four panels. Grade: A (story: A/art: A)

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #627 (w: Roger Stern/a: Lee Weeks). The more the creators keep pointing out how all the seemingly unrelated events over the last few months are pushing Peter Parker to the edge, the more it sounds like just another day in the life of Spider-man. You know the kind you’ve been reading about for years? Despite the seemingly over-exaggerated emphasis of “the Gauntlet”, Amazing continues to churn out one good Spidey story after another. Amazing #627 has a few “wow, Roger Stern is still writing comics” moments that reek of days gone by (like Spidey exclaiming “Something can stop the Juggernaut?!? But What? Who?!”). One of the most impressive feats of Amazing (with its rotating creative teams) is the keeping a smooth continuity of chaos and characterization in Parker’s supporting cast, regardless of who is telling the story. With the Juggernaut’s unfortunate stopping and the surprise antagonist, Stern’s plot and dialogue deliver another satisfying effort in the inexplicable Gauntlet. While Weeks artwork has a very JRjr-esque tone that is a good compliment to the story. Grade: B (story: B/art: B)

KEVIN SMITH'S GREEN HORNET # 2 (w: Kevin Smith/ a: Phil Hester & Jonathan Lau) is worth reading on a number of levels. Let’s start with the idea that we’re two issues into the series and there hasn’t been a (modern) Green Hornet sighting yet and that’s okay. The character and “Hornet Universe” set-up for the series is done nicely in Smith’s title, while it bogs down in Matt Wagner’s (retro-Hornet) Green Hornet: Year One series. With the impending re-introduction of Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) to the DCU, Smith’s Green Hornet paints a picture that is at once reminiscent of Old Bruce and Young Terry while at the same time giving you a “what if” Batman and Jim Gordon cleaned up crime in Gotham with enough time for Bruce to retire and raise a son. The modern Green Hornet saga continues to unravel smoothly, building even more anticipation (and expectation) for Hornet: Year One series and the up-coming future-Hornet Green Hornet Strikes! series. Smith and company not only deliver a satisfying second issue, but are thus far carrying the Hornet franchise. Grade: B+ (story: B+/art: B)

TERMINATOR # 1 (w: Zack Whedon/a: Andy MacDonald. Writer Zack Whedon and not so much the Terminator comic-experience was the draw to picking up Terminator #1. Zack is the younger brother of the infamous Joss (“Buffy”, “Angel”, “Firefly”/”Serenity”, “Dollhouse”, and “Dr. Horrible”). Zack has also been a contributing writer on “John from Cincinnati” and “Fringe”. Okay, really… I liked his rap on the Commentary (“Dr. Horrible”) CD and thought I’d give Terminator a try.

Terminator #1 is set “in continuity” before the first movie. There aren’t a lot of dangling plot devices from Sarah Conner Chronicles or Terminator: Salvation, nor does this issue directly contradict anything that (I recall) has come before. The plot, like most good Terminator stories, tends to be character-driven, which is a hard task when working with a bunch of normal folk that no one has ever heard of. As a first issue, Terminator #1 is a good start. Grade: B- (story: B/art: C)

GREEN HORNET: YEAR ONE #1 (w: Matt Wagner/a: Aaron Campbell). Dynamite (the comic publisher) is working overtime on the Green Hornet as a legacy series. Over in Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet, we are introduced to the modern day (son of the original) Green Hornet and his father. Coming soon, Dynamite will be publishing the Green Hornet Strikes series set in the near-future, chronicling the next GH. Wagner’s Green Hornet: Year One #1 introduces the world of Britt Reid, the original Green Hornet, set (mostly) in Chicago circa 1921. Overall, Year One is as good of a story as Smith’s modern Hornet, but the execution muddles an otherwise good plot. There is a lot of unnecessary jumping around in the story, from one year to another, from Chicago to Japan. It’s a lot like the first three seasons of Lost, where there is lot of changing scenery, that overwhelms the substance of the plot. Another drawback (or maybe this is part of the last one) is that Campbell’s artwork remains the same as the story moves from one setting (year and place) to another. There is no distinction in style or even coloring (tone) which would at least help set the stage a little clearer. Instead, Green Hornet: Year One reads like three (or four?) stories jammed randomly into one issue, rendering the book more difficult for the reader to immerse themselves into any of them. Grade: C (story: B/art: C)

Not Good

THE WEB #7 (w: Matthew Surges/a: Roger Robinson) has its moments, but overall does not maintain the standards of the title. Regrettably, that won’t be problem for much longer as the series has been canceled after issue #10. The best part of the issue was Oracle’s heavy-handed appearance, though the reason for her showing up is a bit retarded. Not every hero needs a “Microchip” (ala the Punisher) or that guy who built the Batmobile that time. On the other hand, Robinson’s artwork continues to impress and is the highlight of the Web #7. There is a lot of potential for the concept of the Web Hosts and even the Web character and his (limited) supporting cast, but this current storyline really misses that boat. Grade: C (story: C-/art: B+)

FANTASTIC FOUR #577 (w: Jonathan Hickman/a: Dale Eagelsham) is an improvement over last month’s issue, but just barely. Fantastic Four #577 reads like a 70’s fill-in issue. The art is decent, but looks like it was drawn by someone who had never heard of the Fantastic Four. For example Reed Richards looks more like a football hero or rugged, square-jawed adventurer than the bookish scientist we’ve become accustomed to and their spacesuits that have half of their trademark “4” cut off... ugh. The plot is a little better, though the central premise seems out of character for Black Bolt and the Inhumans. The “next issue” box is enough to keep the FF on the pull-list for next month, but Hickman is skating on thin ice. Grade: C- (story: C/art: C-)

Remarkably Bad

BLACKEST NIGHT #8 (w: Geoff Johns/a: Ivan Reis). Wow, what a load of… nice artwork. Let’s redo and undo the DC Universe every eight months and see if anyone notices or how long it takes for people to stop caring. Anyone you had been missing because they were dead in the DCU is back. People who have always been dead are back. Heck, all the people who died to bring you Blackest Night. They’re back. Worst of all, the end of this mini-series only opens the door for more inanity. DC’s Senior VP/Executive Editor, Dan DiDio made the bold exclamation that Blackest Night was going to fix the revolving door of death in the DCU. Little did anyone realize that his version of “fixing” mean taking the dang thing off its hinges and just letting folk come and go as they please: welcome to “Brightest Day”.

The DCU needs what Star Trek needed after Nemesis. All of the people in charge need to go away and get someone new to start all over. Please. Someone call J.J. Abrams and see if he wants to be Senior VP/Executive Editor for DC Comics would you?

Something good: The best thing, really the only good thing, about Blackest Night #8 is Reis artwork. Reis’ art does the unthinkable and makes the bile of plot and dialogue really nice to look at.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 43 (w: James Robinson/a: Mark Bagley) is remarkably not good. Despite the appearance of Green Arrow and the morose inner-dialogue of Batman, JLA #43 has less to do with “Rise and Fall” than Titans #23 did two weeks (and it wasn’t even a “Rise and Fall” title). JLA continues to be huge disappointment under Robinson’s helm. There is a Brightest Day prologue, which… uhm… actually doesn’t involve any JLA members? And the issue ends looking into the darkest pit of the DCU… the Multiverse. Because wrecking death in the DCU wasn’t bad enough, now we have to start mucking with Multiverses again. And unfortunately, try as I may, there is nothing nice to say about Bagley’s repetitive, border-line cartoonish artwork (everyone has bulgy-eyes and silly grins all the time for goodness sake!!!).

Something good: If there is at least one good thing about every comic (a theory I am determined to prove), the Red Tornado bits are Robinson’s salvation in Justice League #43. Where you would expect Robinson to excel with the main characters (like he did in Starman), he is failing miserably – turning Hal Jordan, Dick Grayson and company into shallow vignettes of their archetypes. On the other hand the Red Tornado/Green Arrow sequence is very satisfying.