Comic Reviews – Page 9

COMIC REVIEW – Avengers #500 (Disassembled – Part 1)

Avengers hit its 500th issue – or rather, it’s the 85th issue of the third volume, but we’re reverting to the old numbering because all of a sudden we care about our issue numbers until we eventually don’t – so how do we celebrate this milestone? How about we blow up Avengers Mansion and kill off a couple staple characters for good measure?

The first of four issues comprising the Avengers Dissambled storyarc that is supposed to bring the current Avengers run to a close in order to make way for a new Avengers series by BENDIS’ own hand. Unfortunately, the story starts off in such gruesome fashion that it seems like an excuse for Bendis to kill off a few name characters just to tickle his fancy… and the sad thing is that it isn’t going to end here because this is less about putting together a compelling Avengers story that might please older fans and possibly new fans to jump in… and more about shock value. Kill the Ant Man. Have She-Hulk go berserk and rip Vision apart! Why don’t we kill Cap off while we’re at it?

I’ll admit that I liked some of Bendis’ stuff; his Daredevil run was solid and ballsy, his work on Ultimate Spider-Man is pretty top-notch, and on occasion, he’s managed some stroke of brilliance in the oddball title or two. David Finch does some great artwork that manages to compliment the chaos depicted in the written word, with a talent to make abject horroric scenes seem even more so with some fine detail.

A rather underwhelming start to the final chapter of this Avengers era to make way for the new one, I’m holding out hope that things will look up… unfortunately, I have a feeling that it’s a false hope at best.

COMIC REVIEW – Robin #125 (Vol. 2)

You all know that Robin’s being replaced. That’s common knowledge. If you don’t, one only needs to go here and find out.

At the risk of “spoiling” everything, I’m going to tell you that no, Robin doesn’t die. He quits. There you go; no need to buy this comic…

In all seriousness, however, the means of forcing Tim Drake to retire the Robin mantle is rather interesting, but the fact that no one has made an effort to hide what is to come doesn’t help the stock of this issue. I’m guessing the “retirement” of Tim Drake was the big consequence of last issue’s “unveiling”… and even though I haven’t read that last issue, I did read this issue. It peaked my interest even though I knew what was going to happen in a sense, so it worked on that level. The cover is rather bland and doesn’t really relate much to what’s in the issue, but it’s a good thing. The art in this issue is okay, but it really doesn’t do much for me. It’s not that it’s bad, but on the other hand, it’s really uninteresting and it doesn’t try to suck me into the story. Then again, that’s just me.

On the up side however, we’re getting a new Robin… again. And it’s a girl… again. This is the history of the Robin persona, a position that had been filled in by a young kid raised in a circus who had the nasty tendency of saying “Holy-this” and “Holy-that”, a snot-nosed kid whose rebellious nature got him killed by readers, and a “bland, whitebread kid” (thanks, Brian)… Whoever this new kid is (I know who, but I’m not going to “spoil” it for you) has some pretty small shoes to fill, but she should glad that she isn’t going to be wearing those god-awful pixie boots from the early days of the Robin legacy.

Under a different time, the 125th issue of Robin would have been a good book because it has the title character, through circumstances out of his control, forcibly step down from his career as a superhero. That alone would have been an unexpected move. But today, with DC’s own website and Previews basically spoiling the surprise by posting images of future issue covers, this comes off as nothing more than an average book with nothing to sell it on. Whether it’s worth the asking price is up to the customer (as with… everything), but I’d skip this one and wait for the next issue… which has the girl Robin debuting.

COMIC REVIEW – Ultimate Spider-Man #55

In a couple months’ time, there’s a new Spider-Man movie. So naturally, Marvel produced several story-arcs and mini-series that features a newly redesigned Doctor Octopus, who just so happens to be the main villain in the flick. That’s just fine and dandy, but this is Ultimate Spider-Man, where Humberto Ramos’ new Doc Ock (which kicks @$$ by the way) doesn’t make an appearance here, but rather the regular Doc Ock that’s indigenous of the Ultimate line of books. In any case, it’s the same intent.

If the fact that the latest arc in the Ultimate Spider-Man series pits the wall-crawler against Doc Ock isn’t a dead give away that this is another one of those oppurtunities to cash in on the hype of the upcoming Spider-Man movie sequel, then the disappointing plot element of an unauthorized movie being made on Spider-Man will. So Spider-Man gets upset that a movie company is producing a movie about him without his consent or input. Doc Ock gets upset that Spider-Man is getting a movie made about him. Gwen Stacy, still distraught over the recent death of her father due to stupidities in super-heroics, is upset because Spider-Man’s getting a movie. I get upset because the entire storyline revolves around the production of a movie, which is something that should have been a one-shot deal, not necessarily an entire story-arc that could have been good for something else.

I don’t follow the Ultimate Spider-Man series, so I don’t know what has happened before this issue and thus, I can’t really comment on the serial aspect of it. Then again, I really don’t care for serialization to begin with, so that’s a non-factor. The art in this issue is pretty good. Everything is pretty much laid out nicely and everything has a clean look to it. On the other hand, it’s nothing special and certainly nothing that I haven’t seen before.

Of all the Doc Ock-centric stories that are being shot out recently, I’d have to say that this one is a little weak, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad story. If you really need to go out and get something with ol’ Otto, I’d suggest you pick up the Countdown arc in the Spectacular Spider-Man series (or wait for the trade – it’s almost the same thing). You should only pick this up if you’re into Ultimate Spider-Man or don’t mind the “movie” plot, but if you’re somewhat interested in what the arc has to offer, there’s nothing stopping you.

COMIC REVIEW – Teen Titans GO! #5

For the uninformed, the strange looking comic series is based on the latest DC cartoon series. Unlike the previous cartoons that came before it, which had some slick animation and presented pretty good storylines, Teen Titans had anime-style animation and storylines that seemed way too kiddy. Perhaps you’re not supposed to take it seriously, since it’s a team of kids, but the bunch of kids that the series is based on were a tad more serious than what we have here. But we’re not here to look at the cartoon, we’re here to look at the comic.

Of all the issues I could have picked to review, I had to review the one where the main plotline revolves around Raven getting a pimple. No, you’ve read right. And no, the cover of the issue is real. The whole story revolves around a pimple. This little pimple is the main villain of this story. Granted, it’s an interesting idea that is rarely thought of or implemented, but… oh good god, what am I saying? It’s a zit. For the majority of the book, the other Titans make fun of poor Raven’s zit, which reduces the issue to a poor man’s guide to zit jokes that are not only unfunny, but they really distract from the flow of the book, or lack thereof. The book tries to be humorous, but it doesn’t really work for me.

On a more positive note, the art is actually pretty good and it replicates the anime-style of the cartoon. I was a little reserved about the show’s choice to forego the regular graphics and go with that form of animation, but on the comic, it works fine. I find it suits the printed format as opposed to the small screen. I could say more, but… it’s a zit.

There isn’t much else I can say about the comic. If you’re a fan of the cartoon and haven’t tried the comic, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. If you don’t mind a comic book where half of it contains poorly-executed zit jokes, this is for you. As for the rest of us, I’d take a pass.

COMIC REVIEW – Superman (Vol. 2) #200

When Superman (second series) hit issue one-hundred a few scant years ago, the best thing the ol’ crew at DC could come up with for a great anniversary story was The Death of Clark Kent… which was an interesting concept in theory, but was nothing more than a long, drawn-out story-arc that had Superman dealing with another second-rate villain (Conduit) that was created in the week following a second-rate Crisis On Infinite Earths event (Zero Hour). Blah.

This year, Superman reached 200 issues. Yay. How should we celebrate this momentous occasion? Let’s call it The Last Superman Story.

It’s a giveaway, but you’ve read right. The title of this anniversary Superman issue is called The Last Superman Story… but if you’ve been checking out issues of Wizard or Previews, you’d know better. Hell, if you’ve read comics since the dawn of time, you know that they tried to kill off Superman one time and even THAT didn’t stick.

Of course, the hype over Superman’s 200th issue (again, second series) seemed to be focused around time travel and a “shocking” ending. But imagine what a fuss DC could have made if they promoted it as the LAST Superman story ever, only to have him come back a couple months due to unforeseen circumstances.

So when someone presents me with a story and calls it the LAST Superman story, I can’t help but wonder about that. The title does not detract from the quality of the work, which is actually fairly good. The overall plot of Superman 200 is your standard “trip to the not-so-pleasant future” type of storyline, but it’s actually alright. Nothing mind-blowing or anything, but it’s not terrible. It’s the typical Superman quality that most of us is used to these days. The art style isn’t to my liking, but it’s pretty damn good and the selective use of colors is okay.

As far as the ending, it goes on a road that very few people go through with a Superman story, but it’s nothing “shocking” by any means. It’s a good way to cap off this supposed “Last Superman story,” but promoting future Superman projects defeats the whole purpose of Superman 200 being the last one and thus the ending’s effect is lost. Still, pretend it’s shocking and you’ll probably be amazed that this is happening in DC canon and not in some Elseworlds story.

There’s also a couple of pages of bonus material featuring a couple of sketches, but it’s nothing you can find in an issue of Wizard or anything else of that sort.

Overall, the two-hundredth issue of Superman (second series, again) is an alright story and worth a read if you’ve been following the whole Futuresmith storyline, and chances are the collectors would want to pick it up in hopes that it will raise in stock in the coming years. If you don’t know what’s going on here, I’d advise you pick up some of the issues that go before this one or save your money for the obvious collected edition which can show up in a few months time.

In the meantime, I’m anxiously looking forward to issue 300 (second series once more), where DC will probably promote a bearded Superman flipping pizza dough in a shop run by the mob. Then again, anything is better than Superman having electric powers and dressed up as Captain Planet.

COMIC REVIEW – Superman/Batman #1

Superman and Batman are stuck together in this new ongoing series. In all honesty, I’m rather split on the necessity to create another book for the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight, let alone one that features the both of them. It’s hard to tell if it’s really worth it to put these two guys together in an ongoing series. Of course, they did have an ongoing World’s Finest series a couple decades back, so a modern-day take on that idea probably wouldn’t hurt.

The first few pages is relatively simple. Half of each page dedicated to each of the two as their origins are retold in under 30 seconds, which is actually pretty neat. But then again, these characters don’t need five hundred different takes on their origin stories, even as an entry point because even most non-comic readers already know who they are. The story after that has the World’s Finest against Metallo, who’s causing trouble again. As a series opener, I have my reservations about the plot, but if leads to something bigger and better next issue, then it’s alright. Superman/Batman is fine color wise: the Superman moments are bright and colorful, while the Batman moments are dark and… not that dreary, but close enough. Ed McGuiness still does good Superman and his Batman is actually pretty good too, so no big surprise there.

The problem I have with this book is simple: it’s called Superman/Batman. That tells me it’s going to be mainly a Superman comic. That tells me it’s going to be a nice colorful book with a lot of bright moments. That doesn’t sit too well with me, because when you have a book that feature two opposites, there has to be some kind of balance between the two. It’s okay to have the colorful stories that fits Superman, but only if you can follow the dark tones that fits Batman. This first issue manages to balances things nicely, but it does still feels like a Superman book, not a Superman/Batman book.

Bottom line, Superman/Batman #1 is a good read that’s worth a look. I would probably recommend it to anyone who enjoys Superman comics, but wouldn’t go as far as recommended it to the Batman readers, because it is predominantly a Superman book… not that it’s a bad thing. Maybe the series will surprise me down the road, but for now, check this issue out. Worth your time.

COMIC REVIEW – The Punisher #16 (Vol. 4)

For a long time, the Punisher seems to be popular. Not because he has any fancy powers or a fancy costume, don’t be silly. It’s simply based on the fact that he shoots people for a living. Until the 12-issue mini that Ennis did, I didn’t see a decent interesting thing about a guy that shoots people… I mean, come on! What’s so special about a guy who shoots stuff?… However, Punisher must have been good enough for him to have another shot at an ongoing title. Then we came to number 16, which begins a small 2-parter about sawed-off legs and Wolverine having his umpteenth bar fight. (Oh yeah, this book was released earlier in the month as a result of a bi-weekly thing, so I cover the next issue when I get the chance.)

If it wasn’t for the cover, you would have had me believe that these was another issue of that MAX Comic stuff that I don’t particularly care for… after all, these guys did do FURY (it’s okay if you don’t know what FURY is). That said, Ennis does what he usually does best; a good story-arc with its macabre moments that doesn’t include Punisher shooting everyone, although at least he fires a couple of shots. In fact, in one particular scene, ol’ Punisher blows off Wolverine’s face with a shotgun. Crap, man. I thought this was Marvel Knights, not MAX Comics! I didn’t expect to flying body parts or faces being blown away. What’s going on here?… Um, oh yeah, Darrick Robertson’s art is very good. The artstyle is rather befitting of this kind of dark, gritty environment with plenty of blood and flesh to pass around. The cover art is nice and simple – nuff said.

Okay, I realize that this is a Marvel Knights title, so there is some violent content expected, but there has to be some line crossed. I mean, count all the body parts on the floor or flying around in the book. I counted up to around twenty-three body parts, including nineteen legs and four fingers. Look, a guy’s face got blown off, for crying out loud! Such mindless depictions of violence and gore is befitting a MAX Comic, not Marvel Knights… Maybe I’m over exaggerating, especially since this is the same line where in the final issue of Punisher’s 12-issue mini, he kicks a cripple back into a burning house. That’s seems a little kiddy compared to this, though.

Punisher #16, if you can look past the loose body parts and the blown-off face, is a pretty good read. Rarely do you see a Punisher book where Punisher isn’t shooting or killing anyone (besides, you have the guy with the claws doing all that), so if you’re expect a massive gunfight, sorry. However, if you are interested in a decent Punisher story or just plain enjoy mindless violence, this book is for you.

COMIC REVIEW – Adventures Of Superman #612

Here is something I was initially intrigued with: a battle between the modern-day incarnation of Superman and a reasonable facsimile of the 1940s-Superman. Make no mistake… DC pulled this same stunt with Wonder Woman a while back: the modern-day incarnation meets up with the 1940s-version on the cover, only to have WW meet up with her mother in the past in the actual book. But people are thinking that they won’t actually pull the same thing twice, right?

The old adage of “Never judge a book by its cover” has never been so true.

Don’t kid yourself here though. There actually is a super-human being running around looking like 1940s-Superman. Heck, he’s even drawn in the same style and nicely done too in contrast to the current art included in the issue, which is also pretty good. Unfortunately, this is the only Superman-type character you’re going to see in this issue; the modern Kal-El is trying to convince an old man to delete his fictional work about a superhero. There’s nothing special behind this issue; it’s your typical “metahuman good-guy who uses brute force and eventually goes berserk” story. Only difference this time is that they’re using a character whose style comes from the early days. Nonetheless, it’s not a spectacular

This is worth buying if you’re a Superman completist, a regular fan of the franchise, or just get a kick out of seeing a guy drawn in the style of the forties beat on a bunch of cops drawn in the current style. Just don’t jump into this issue expecting what the cover shows and declares, because it is misleading (there is no battle between Man of Yesterday vs. Man of Tomorrow).

What’s next? Is Batman going to have an issue in which the cover shows the current-age Batman facing off against the 1940s Batman, only to be squaring off against 60s-style Batman?

COMIC REVIEW – Action Comics #797

Before we jump into this review, I want to share a little anecdote. A while ago, I have gotten my hands on the MAD ON SUPER-HEROES trade paperback. One of the strips in the trade featured this interesting little frame with Superman consulting with a therapist (supposedly at eighty bucks a session). It’s funny, it’s interesting, and it’s likely never to happen in actual continuity.

Apparently, someone must have read the same piece and thought differently, because just a few weeks ago, DC debuted Superman’s therapist. Contrary to what some people may think at first glance, that first story was far from hilarious, but you couldn’t help but see the irony of the whole thing. In addition, it offered a glimpse into the mind of the Man of Steel and as a result, it ended up being a good read too.

Action 797 brings Superman back into therapy, this time spilling his guts on the recent Manchester Black fiasco and the death of the pocket-universe General Zod and his two pocket-universe buddies by his hands (the Zod thing is happened in the early issues of the current Superman series, so you may have to check the back issue bins for a more detailed account). All of these recounts seem to be a method to finding out who Superman is. Of course, there are some light-hearted moments too.

It’s not an action-packed issue. It’s Superman in therapy. There isn’t that many mindless battles that has been the dominant theme in the “Ending Battle” story, nor do I expect. Joe Kelly does a wonderful job in trying to surmise who Superman is and how he is viewed. Only thing is that some of this stuff is relying on continuity, which is a nice thing, but it’s something that may get lost on new readers. The artwork is alright, but nothing particularly noteworthy.

I wish there were more emphasis on the “man” and not on the “super” in these Superman books and Action 797 manages to work nicely. It’s better that Superman 188 where Superman goes flying around, beating the crap out of bad guys, and crack lame jokes that Spider-Man would cringe at. It’s a nice change of pace that doesn’t feature 100 different fights. It’s Superman in therapy and it’s a pretty good read.

COMIC REVIEW – Fantastic Four #60 (2002)

First, it was Batman: The Ten-Cent Adventure. Now Marvel releases its own “cheap” comic (and by cheap, I mean inexpensive, not poorly produced) with Fantastic Four #60 for the incredibly low price of NINE CENTS (15 cents Canadian… boo.) The story revolves around the Fantastic Four attempting to boost their public image by hiring a consultant. Likewise, the premise is similar to Marvel’s goal, which is to attempt to boost the slipping sales of the comic by hiring a new creative team and lowering the price (although the creative team stays, the price is a one-time-only deal.)

One of the reasons you should get the book is the price: at 9 cents, it’s pretty cheap and it’s not some demo issue or something with missing pages like the free comics offered a few months. There isn’t much to the story, but in the end, Mark Waid managed to create a script that does what it’s intended to do, which is to familiarize the newbie reader with the main characters of the book. The artwork of Mike Wieringo definitely complement this book, as it has some detail and adds some sense of
realism.

When Batman: The Ten-Cent Adventure was released, it not only served as a good introductory issue, but it was also a set-up for the Bruce Wayne: Murderer and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive storylines. As a result, you’d buy the other comics in order to check out the whole storyline. Fantastic Four #60
is a self-contained issue that doesn’t really lead into any major storylines, although that isn’t a pre-requisite for cheap comics. The only problem I have with the story is the characterizations of the Thing and Human Torch; in some respects, they’re almost like overactive kids.

I highly recommend Fantastic Four #60. Besides the obvious reason (it’s real cheap!), it is a good introductory issue to anyone who has never read the comic book before.