I have a feeling that other post I started writing is never going to get finished.
Anyway:
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| 4.1/5.1 weird numberings |
Writers - Dan Slott & Chris Yost
Artist - Matthew Clark
I don't quite understand Marvel's ".1" issues. While I think the idea of a one-shot issue designed to be a starting point for new readers is a solid one, I don't think adding another number - especially a decimal point - is going to help. If anything, it just makes it more intimidating. I don't see why we couldn't just have Annuals for every title that can do the same thing. Just plaster "Great Starting Point for Blah Blah Blah" on the cover and you're good to go. Aside from the wonky numbering, though, this issue isn't half bad. It reads like a standard issue of the ongoing series, but does a good enough job of familiarizing new readers with the characters and stories without forcing current fans like me to sit through an issue of careful handholding. In that sense, it actually moves the ongoing story forward, revealing new information about a mysterious "recurring" character and ending on a note allowing it to sync up with the upcoming feature film (I honestly should have seen it coming). The art is adequate, though nothing special, and there is one panel where Peter looks like he belongs on the Lollipop Guild basketball team. There also feels like there's a lot more going on in here than there really is. I was surprised to learn that this was only $2.99, as I felt that I had read a much bigger $4 comic. With comics these days often feeling too brief, that's a good sign.
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| 2/5 wrestling moves on robots |
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Artist - Renato Guedes
Why is Norman Osborn back? Didn't we already go through all of this like two or three years ago? Why is Red Hulk on the team? Why is Red Hulk still even around? Why does no one see Osborn as a villain when he Zangiefs the Vision through a door? Why does nothing even remotely resembling the cover occur in the book? Why did last issue's cover feature Storm while she only appeared in a total of four panels, one of which she was drooling in? Why haven't I dropped this book yet? Nothing happens in here that isn't infinitely stupid. It gets a pity point because the idea isn't bad, its just not relevant or well thought out.
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| 3/5 Tommy Lee Osborns |
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Artist - Mike Deodato
I went into this issue with a bad attitude, having read Avengers Main first. It didn't help that, during the completely nonsensical riot at the Avengers Mansion, some asshole threw a bottle at Jessica's head while she's carrying her baby. Who does that? No one. It's something that's so over the top that, despite the protesters (and even Osborn) having an arguable point, it all gets thrown out the window. Then Squirrel Girl (Who is, according to the recap page, a teenager? What? Didn't she sleep with Wolverine?) has tree rodents attack everyone. I was all set to hate this issue, and not even Spider-Man spouting some fun lines (which Bendis is good at, even though every member of the team talks the same) while saving several team members could save it. But Spider-Man fighting fake-Thor by web-slinging Iron Fist at him? Congratulations, stapled stack of paper. You earned your $3.
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| 5/5 Godzilla Batmans |
Writer - Scott Snyder
Artist - Greg Capullo
First off, I want to note that my friend hated last issue because "Batman wandering through a maze all issue" was "boring". I'll let that sink in.
Anyway, Snyder continues to craft a very fun and engaging story, finally leading itself into the "Night of the Owls" crossover. We get to see more of the Court of Owls and learn that they have far more than just one assassin in its employ. I was indifferent to Capullo when he began drawing this book, but these issues of Batman in the labyrinth are where he really shines. His more stylistic drawings really lend themselves to Batman's hallucinations. Bat's one exposed eye still stands out as weird to me, but the panels focused on them help remind you that he is suffering the effects of hallucinogens. And the shifts between his visions of the Court as humanoid owls and the reality of them as just people in masks are really well done. Props to FCD, as the colors are also really nicely done, especially with the lighting and the panels that take place in all-white rooms. Snyder continues to write the best Bat-book since Morrison left, making the wait for his return in Batman, Inc. a little easier.
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| 5/5 waltzes with a corpse |
Writer - Mark Waid
Artist - Paolo Rivera
Daredevil continues to be one of the best books on the stands. The story and artwork are both topnotch and work together so well in a way rarely seen. Waid and Rivera continue to use Daredevil's powers in a way that's both interesting visually and to the story, knocking out two of his senses from loud rushing water and the overpowering stench of corpses. There's a really neat two-panel sequence where we first see Daredevil's "vision", where his echolocation shows him that he's traveling a river through a cave. It's then followed by a panel of what we can see, and the walls of the "cave" are actually beasts crouching still along the river. The moment that really stood out to me, however, was a simple ten-panel page where Black Cat has second thoughts about stealing something from Matt. It's mostly from one flat angle and shows nothing more than her hands and three flashbacks, but it's expertly paced and tells you everything you need to know in one page. It is extremely well-done, much like every issue of the series so far. I can't wait for #10.
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| 1/5 Two-Faced Guiles |
Writer - Dan Didio
Artist - Jerry Ordway
I really was looking forward to this. I love the idea behind DCU Presents, letting lesser-known characters that may not be able to sustain their own series get a chance to shine. And the Challengers of the Unknown where characters I've always been mildly interested in, ever since I read Challengers of the Fantastic from the phony Amalgam line when I was a kid. But, man...was this a bad way to introduce the characters. The idea updating the story (making them a cast from an ill-defined reality show) is interesting, but cliché. There are a total of nine characters, which I found odd, since I understood the original team to be somewhere between four and six. Most of them are stereotypes or don't really do anything at all. One women exists to talk about her boobs for two panels and never speaks again. One is just the "token black guy" who has a broken arm at the start so we can see that the mystical land of Nanda Parbat healed him, even though they don't stay there, it's noted in one throwaway line, and it doesn't factor into sh*t. Even the artist can't keep track of the cast, as some of them switch clothes or disappear between panels. The plot makes no sense, the dialogue is wordy and expository, and the pacing is absolutely terrible. I've no idea what happened, who the Challengers are, or why I should care. The art isn't much better. It's not bad, but it's mediocre and just sits as "standard comic book art", and is really hurt by the much nicer cover by Ryan Sook. As someone who is normally pretty forgiving on first issues, this was one of the rare times I was 100% certain I wouldn't be around for part two.
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| 3/5 creeps loving the tentacle fight at the beginning |
Writer - Brain Azzarello
Artist - Tony Akins
I just don't know where I stand with Wonder Woman. It's a book that, at the start of the New 52, I really wanted to like. I just don't know where it's going. I don't really understand what's happening. I have no idea who this Lennox dude from last issue is or what he wants. There are things about the book that I like and still find intriguing. The mythology, when I can follow it, is fun. Hermes is so silly in that hat and wraparound sunglasses that I just want to give him an ongoing title. But when it comes down to it, I've been telling myself to drop titles I'm not loving, and this and Avengers certainly fall into that category. I hate leaving mid-story, though, so if it happens to come out on a small week (which it didn't this month), I may still grab it. Otherwise, I need to let it go. Colors sure are pretty, though. Props to Matthew Wilson.
Anyway, I'm out. I missed last week's reviews due to a busy weekend, so I'll just update them to this post if I find the time. Otherwise, I should have something in addition to reviews next week.
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| Be...excellent...to each other. |
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