Chris' Reviews 11/21

We'll keep it relatively short this week; Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #32 --- I confess, about halfway through the issue I completely lost track of exactly who was being chased and why, because frankly for the last three issues I've kind of thought of Cap as "That Comic Where Falcon And Sharon And Kind Of Bucky Are Chasing The Red Skull And Faustus, Sort Of". And as much as I've liked most of Brubaker's run thus far, I'm getting the feeling that we need to kind of wrap this up and go beat up MODOK or something, y'know? Competent as always, but it's kind of running in place at this point, yes? CBG: 2/5.

DETECTIVE COMICS #838 --- Part 3 of the Resurrection O' Ra's Al Ghul, apparently. Since this is the only part of this story I've read so far, I'm completely lost as to how/why this is happening, which as you might imagine makes for less than compelling storytelling. Again, my monthly Batman done-in-one fix is hijacked, this time by a crossover. Damn. At least there's a funny page or two where Alfred gets to beat somebody up. Oh, and the BatBrat is in this too, so that's depressing. CBG: 1/5, but if you've been following the story at all and have some context around it, you might rate it higher.

FLASH #234 --- Can I just say something? I am loving the hell out of Waid's relaunch here, and everything just feels right here. This issue concerns an introduction of a new power in the family (not-so-lovingly referred to as "the leash" by Iris) and the family dynamic comes into sharper focus. The best thing about this book is that these read like real, honest-to-god people... who just happen to have powers. A nicely Silver-Age plot, and a neat backup feature about Planet Flash through the different generations complements the main book nicely. Also, a wonderful tribute to Mike Weiringo at the back of the book seals the deal. It's so nice to have the Flash back. CBG: 4/5.

CHECKMATE #20 --- Like the ending to a good legal thriller, the "Fall of The Wall" arc wraps up decidedly not in favor of Amanda Waller, though you get the feeling she's just gonna be more dangerous now than ever. Lots of twists, turns, and I immediately went back and reread the whole arc to appreciate exactly how the final moves impacted everyone. Complicated, complex, but rewarding overall. If you haven't been reading this so far, next ish should make a great jumping-on point. CBG: 3/5.

IRON MAN ANNUAL #1 --- Director Stark and three buxom SHIELD agents take a working vacation to Madripoor in an effort to depose Madame Hydra; Bloodscream, Roughhouse, and Tyger Tiger get involved in the action, and the whole thing takes on a very James Bond-ian flavor (as if the cover didn't give that away). Cheescakey, action-packed, and a nice reminder of how Stark can still pull off the "billionaire playboy" when he has to. I liked it very much. CBG: 4/5.

Chris' Reviews 11/14

Quite the mixed bag this week, with nary a soul in sight to blame for bad purchases but myself. Here's what I got, not including World War Hulk (that review and thoughts about the mini overall are coming tomorrow) or the Black Dossier (no way in hell I'm getting through all that text before the weekend). As always: Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

WONDER WOMAN #14

Gail Simone's first issue writing the Amazing Amazon (not counting the most recent Atom) starts things off with Diana fighting monkeys, moves to hints of Amazonian subterfuge, rounds out the middle with an office birthday party, throws in the newly-slimmed Lt. Colonel (!) Etta Candy, and finishes with Captain Nazi and the, um, Nazi-teers (or whatever Captain Nazi's henchmen are called) attempting an invasion of Themyscira.

Whew.

It all moves along pretty quickly, too, and Diana's narrations are a mix of self-assured outsider and mildly bemused innocent (and seem perfectly in character to me). It's the usual Simone-ian mix of action and humor, and while it's certainly not a comedy title, it is a great deal of fun.

The Dodson art is typically Dodson-ish, so take that as you will --- I thought it was just fine here. The coloring seemed a little faded to me, but perhaps that's just my individual copy.

All in all, a fine, fun start to what will hopefully be a long, long run.

Best Moment: "There is cake, and that excuses much." Yes, Diana. Yes, it does.

Worst Moment: I'll admit, at this point Captain Nazi should probably be renamed to Professor Generic Villain #23 as far as I'm concerned, but hey --- in an issue with this many monkeys, I'm nitpicking.

Comic Book Goodness: 4/5. Right up my alley, and it's the issue that proves once and for all that Gail Simone can write monkeys like nobody's business.


X-FACTOR #25

OK, my love for the 'Factor is well documented at this blog, so this is tough for me to write.

Do not buy this issue of X-Factor unless you're following the "Messiah Complex" story in the gazillion other X-books, because there's only about 4 pages total here of X-Factory goodness we've come to expect from Peter David. Look, I know it's marked clearly right there on the cover as being a tie-in, but PAD's done a yeoman's job in the past of keeping crossover-itis to a minimum in this book, so I expected... I dunno, I guess I still expected an X-Factor book.

For what it's worth, here's how the book reads to someone who hasn't been following the "Messiah Complex" story:

1) Wolfsbane eats some terrorists.

2) Cyclops argues with some people I don't care about.

3) Madrox and Layla go see Forge, who expositions his hiney off about that stupid 19-part backup Beast story we had to put up with for the last 3 months.

4) Layla and a Madrox dupe disappear into the timestream. (It's not nearly as interesting as it sounds.)

5) Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler go to the hospital to talk to some nurse who turns herself into mist.

6) Cyclops argues some more with those people I still don't care about.

And then the whole thing mercifully ends, with me being sad about the X-Men in general, X-Factor in specific, and hoping this is the only crossover issue.

Best Moment: Hey! Ultimate Iron Man II is finally coming out in December!

Worst Moment: Any page featuring Cyclops and the Instantly Forgetful X-People.

Comic Book Goodness: 1/5. I suppose if you're following the event this made more sense, which is a bit like saying "You know, if you were a doctor, you'd think that medical textbook is more interesting."


WORLD OF WARCRAFT #1

OK, I'll admit I play World of Warcraft. I also tend to enjoy Walt Simonson comics. Ergo, I figured that I'd try this mixing of the two, and perhaps be entertained.

The good news is that it's better than it has any right to be.

The bad news is that it's still not any better than "eh".

Look, I understand wanting to cash in on a massive property like WoW, but fer Chrissake, an ad for WoW-themed games/action figures/comics/shirts every other freakin' page? At least, that's what it seems like.

(Side Note: In all fairness, I don't buy many Wildstorm comics, so I can't say if the ad count is usually this obtrusive or not. All I know is that if I'm reading a comic called World of Warcraft, I'm probably already playing your damn game.)

The story proper entails 3 folks being trained as gladiators in the Orc capital, and there's the usual mix of Mysterious Person What Can't Remember Their Past, Grudging Allies In Time Of Battle, and Shadowy Figure Pulling Strings Unseen. It reads like the setup to any other swords-n-sorcery book.

But Simonson seems to be visibly breaking a sweat here, like he's got a story in mind but he has to cram in a bunch of game-specific exposition to serve the brand, and even for a fan of the game like myself I find it distracting.

That said, there's an undeniable thrill at seeing the game in the comic format, and I quite like the artwork by Ludo Lullabi.

Best Moment: The scenes depicting druid shapeshifting were really well done and appropriately surreal.

Worst Moment: Note to fantasy writers: a good rule of thumb when writing about people with fantasy names is to not use 3 or more names in one sentence, as they're frequently unpronounceable and less frequently short.

Comic Book Goodness: 2/5. A decent story could come of this, but man... the odds aren't good.


THOR #4

Well, we're off to Africa in this issue --- and JMS uses the tribal genocide taking place on the continent as the backdrop for Thor's awakening of the Warriors Three, who are biding their time as mercenaries guarding a Doctors Without Borders camp that finds itself under attack.

As much as I wanted to like this issue, I can't help but feel that the setting was the wrong one here. I understand JMS' point about how non-African nations trying to solve the conflicts are doomed to failure, but there's a mixed message here when Thor prevents mass slaughter by throwing Mjolnir at a band of attacking soldiers.

And that's really all that happens here; Donald Blake goes to Africa, turns into Thor to defend the camp, wakes up the Warriors Three, then makes a canyon to protect the camp from future attacks and returns home to mope.

One point in its favor: I got the variant Lee Bermejo cover, and it's absolutely beautiful.

Best Moment: Next issue: Sif!

Worst Moment: Probably the little girl suicide bomber. Some real-world situations just don't translate well to a comic about Norse gods in spandex, kay?

Comic Book Goodness: 2/5. The framing device was way too serious and immediate for what I was looking for in a comic called "Thor".

ALSO THIS WEEK:

SALVATION RUN #1 --- I picked it up because I enjoy the concept, but Willingham writes a full-length comic about something that could have been an 8-page backup. The Flash's Rogues are trying to survive on an exile planet that Checkmate is shipping supervillains off to, and they predictably bicker and fight. At the end, we see that more villains (including the Joker) have arrived, and some Shadowy Figure Behind The Scenes has an agenda for our stranded villains. The rogues get on my nerves, the fights aren't terribly good, and the Joker sounds like an effeminate dandy instead of a homicidal maniac. Yikes. CBG: 1/5.

SUICIDE SQUAD #3 --- More of a Rick Flag issue than a Squad issue, it's equal part flashback to conventional Squad days and a telling of how Flag escapes Skartaris and is re-recruited to the Squad in the present day. Not a fan of the generic looking art and seems like a waste of an interesting character in Rustam, but it goes a long way to show Flag's badassedness and I think we're finally ready for the Squad proper to get going. CBG: 3/5.

Tomorrow: World War Hulk!

Assload O' Reviews Week: DC Edition

Alright, so I'm pretty sure by now that everyone who reads regularly knows there are only 5 or 6 DC books that I read with regularity, because after DC decided that 52 and Countdown were the tails that were going to wag the dog in the DCverse, I completely lost interest in most of the mainstream DC stuff.

That said, I'm willing to take a chance on Salvation Run, and maybe one or two other limited series coming down the pike, but I'm not really feeling DC these days, you know?

(Side Note: Judging by the bombardment of ads, I'm assuming this Lord Havok and the Extremists 8-issue mini by Frank Tieri isn't a joke. Seriously? Who asked for this? 8 issues? What the...?)

Oh, and can we get Hawkman back his own comic? Or has Hawkgirl morphed into something readable while I've been away?

MASSIVE (POSSIBLY MONTH-OLD) SPOILERS AHOY!

CHECKMATE #18-19 --- OK, I'm starting to feel like I'm shouting in an empty room here, but to me Checkmate is the most consistently engaging title DC's got going right now (not including my blind crush on anything Gail Simone's putting out these days), and now I hear whispers of cancellation or consolidation.

Which would be sad, because these two issues are the start of the story arc "Fall of the Wall", and I can't wait to see what Checkmate looks like after this. Dirty tricks, the Secret Six, Suicide Squad, Martian Manhunter, Shadowpact and even a couple of those Chinese folks that Grant Morrison dreamed up for 52 all play their part here, and it's the usual delicious brand of Ruckian backstabbing and counterplotting. Also: where the hell else are you going to get your King Faraday fix, huh? CBG: 4/5.

BIRDS OF PREY #110-111 --- I was admittedly unsure about whether to continue buying this after Gail Simone left, but darned if Tony Bedard hasn't done a heckuva job keeping the title light, fun, and personable with these two stand-alone issues. Issue #110 is a Huntress v. Atomic Skull Fan Club mission (I'm not even kidding about that), and #111 is Oracle v. Calculator at a software convention (wacky hijinx ensue). So yeah, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I didn't stop buying BoP. Also: Bonus points for the line "Kid, your 'A-Skull' is an A-hole". CBG: 3/5.

JONAH HEX #24 --- As advertised, it's the Halloween issue, and it's a fun idea --- El Diablo possesses Jonah Hex while Bat Lash cracks wise --- but it's a tad confusing in the execution from an art perspective. Put it this way: if you're supposed to be fighting a town full of zombie ghosts and you can't tell which are the zombie ghosts and which are the normal people, that's not a good sign. Still, a fun idea and a nice bit of haunted Old West actioneering. CBG: 3/5.

(Side Note: I've bought every Hex issue since the relaunch, and I've learned this much over the last 24 issues --- Hex is a hundred times more interesting when he's got someone like Bat Lash or El Diablo to play off of. I'm not about to tell Palmiotti and Gray how to do their jobs, but let's just say that an Old West group title featuring these folks would be something I'd buy. Kind of like a DC Heroes version of the Wild Bunch.)

(Additional Side Note: Fanboy that I am, I'm now demanding this become a reality. Make it happen, DC.)

(Son of Additional Side Note: Yes, I realize this would sell all of 7 copies nationwide. I don't care.)

DETECTIVE COMICS #837 --- While I can't say I was really looking forward to my monthly Batman fix being replaced with a Riddler/Harley Quinn team-up issue, I guess in all fairness the title is "Detective Comics", and that's what we got here, with Eddie and Harley detecting their way into a fight with a new villain and a funny bit about the Amazons' Women Shelters/Self-Help Spa. Still, not what I was looking for and kind of a fill-in despite Dini's attempts to make the Riddler interesting. CBG: 2/5.

WONDER WOMAN #13 --- J. Torres sets the table for Gail Simone's upcoming run, and speaking as someone who abandoned the relaunch after Heinberg's ridiculous delays rendered the title irrelevant, I must say that I'm back into being interested in Wonder Woman again. This is a nice tie-up that establishes Diana's relationships with the world in general, and even manages to make Wonder Girl interesting for a few pages, no easy trick there. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the terrific art by Julian Lopez. Plus: WW punches a Hydra in the neck! Also: the more I read references to Amazons Attack, the more glad I am that I ignored that completely. CBG: 4/5.

ALL-NEW ATOM #16 --- Ivy Town becomes converted into a 60's hippie paradise thanks to an evil alien and his reality-changing music machine, and it's up to the Atom to put a stop to the fiend! But can Atom stop the diabolical music-making robots that have Ivy Town under their spell? Guest-starring Ryak of the Linear Men! And now you know why I keep referring to this comic as "Silver-Agey". CBG: 3/5.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #16-17 --- It's all about the Sinestro Corps War at this point, and once again I'm kind of shocked that I'm enjoying the story as well as I am even though I'm not reading the core GL title or any of the one-shots; that's a testament to both Dave Gibbons and Eddie Berganza. Either way, the story here progresses in ways I thought it would --- the Corps destroy Ranx and everyone heads to earth for the final showdown --- but the big development here is that the Guardians have authorized the use of lethal force from the rings, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Smartly, Gibbons has the Corpsmen voice both sides of the issue, and while I sure hope it's not a lasting change in the GLC ethos, it's a dramatic turn of events that really raises the stakes in the closing issues of the arc. Action-packed, crazy battles, money moments, and ohbytheway... Ion's back and he's going to smack the living shit out of Superboy Prime. Hee. CBG: 4/5

Chris' Reviews 9/12

Smallish pull list last week, so I picked up some stuff that looked intriguing; in other news, I read quite possible the single worst comic I've read all year, and that's not even using the standard 2GBC Hyperbole Quotient. Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

THOR #3

Well, color me surprised that so far Thor has been as good as it has been. I think the Stracyzinsky/Gaiman/Whoever premise of putting Thor in Oklahoma is unique, charming, and makes for a neat setup. Additionally, the idea that he has to go about the planet "waking" up his fellow gods makes for a quest with some longevity; don't get me wrong, in about two issues I need to see some hammer throwin' against Mephisto or something, but for now, I think we're good.

Of course, that's due in large part to the fact that the Thor v. Iron Man confrontation was something we've been waiting for for about a year and a half; and I must say, it doesn't disappoint. Thor's verbal smackdown of Tony is just withering, and if you know anyone who didn't think Tony was a complete shitheel during Civil War, well, just fax them a copy of page 8 and then wait by the phone for their apology.

Also, I've never been so happy to see Iron Man get smacked like a Hank Aaron home run, electrocuted, nearly strangled, and cracked like an eggshell. Oh Thor, you silly God of Thunder, your wacky antics never fail to entertain!

Meantime, there's a touching bit with Heimdall, and some plot hammering regarding Asgard's status that had to be gotten out of the way sooner rather than later (despite Tony's completely wrong interpretation of what defines U.S. territory), and nice art to boot.

Best Moment: SHRAKOOOM!, which apparently is the sound a lightning bolt makes when it's zapping billionaire industrialist dickheads.

Worst Moment: I admit, I got a bit verklempt at the sad, insane guy stuck with Heimdall's soul in way that totally did NOT remind me of Star Trek III. Nope. Not at all. Nosiree.

Comic Book Goodness: 4/5. A payoff moment, the return of a familiar face, and have I mentioned it's nice to have Thor back? Also, SHRAKOOOM!


JLA WEDDING SPECIAL #1

So, I figured I'd get back into the JLA once McDuffie came aboard, and figured "why not jump on board with the one-shot?" The results were, um, mixed.

There's essentially 4 parts to the issue:

1) The bachelor party for Ollie, in which Hal acts like a doofus, John Stewart gets a line that pretty much defines why he's such a cool character, Batman is Batman, and a bunch of archers stand around skeeving me out with references to Ollie's sex life. This part is generally good.

2) Firestorm and Floaty Head Girl Who's Not Professor Stein (I'm not up on my Firestorm developments, so someone can explain who she is in the comments) duke it out with Killer Frost, who has Power Suit Luthor, Action Figure Cheetah, and Zoot Suit Joker along for backup, and that goes about as well as you'd think it would, ending with a score of Firestorm 0, Villains 2,344.

3) Lex assembles all the villains into a new Injustice League, which... you know, probably is the way things should be, except I just got done reading Justice, so it wasn't a particularly shocking development since I kind of assumed that all the DC villains were already working together. Also, it always bothers me when the Joker is lumped into supervillain teams, because the Joker doesn't give two farts about anyone but himself.

4) Batman and Roy (Red Arrow? Speedy?) investigate the crime scene from (2) above, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl visit Firestorm in the hospital and get ambushed by Dr. Light, Joker, Polarity, and Cheetah in a fight scene that's frankly kind of bad. The issue ends with a broken Kendra getting back to the Hall of Justice and Superman saying "The party's over!" (Eeesh.)

Sprinkled throughout are nods to McDuffie's work on the animated Justice League Unlimited, and while I'm still excited to read his ongoing JLA, there was just too much of nothing happening in this issue that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a JLA action issue or behind-the-scenes character piece. Ultimately it comes up short at both.

Best Moment: The opening pages with Lex, Joker, and Cheetah parodying Brad Meltzer's opening pages of his JLA run, with the three trying to decide who's in the new Injustice League.

Worst Moment: I thought the Firestorm section was hard to follow and out of place, but then that's generally how I've always felt about Firestorm.

Comic Book Goodness: 2/5. At 4 bucks, I expected something other than a disjointed set-up piece, or something that actually had to do with, you know, the wedding. I understand now the point is to set up McDuffie's run, but still this one left me kind of cold (except for the fact that John Stewart's going to be in the League). Also: is it me or did the strippers that Hal hired remind anyone else of Marvel's X-Men Rogue, Psylocke, and Storm? Hee!


MOON KNIGHT #12

Oh, Sweet Jumpin' Waffles, this comic was awful. I mean, awful.

Forget --- try to forget, anyway (it's damn near impossible since there's pages where Tony Stark and his goons show up again to grill Marc Spector over Cap's visit) --- that this issue takes place before the end of Civil War. I have no problems with issues told in flashback, but this is the second issue in a row that does this, and the action is so muddled, the dialogue boxes so confusing, the characters so badly developed that I had to read it three times to understand (kinda) what happened.

And I hate reading bad comics more than once.

The gore is more gratuitous than ever (and for this comic, that's saying something), there's at least three Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moments where characters do things out of the blue for no apparent motivation, and everybody generally behaves like murderous six-year olds. It's Terrible with a capital "T", and it's off the pull list for good. Randy tells me there's a new writer coming on board, and I can only hope that what started with an interesting premise for Moon Knight's return somehow gets back on track. Also, I'd still like to know what the hell happened in this issue.

Best Moment: "Hello, Local Comic Shop? It's Chris. Please burn any remaining copies of this comic. It's for the best. Think of the children."

Worst Moment: "Maybe if I read it a third time it'll start to make sense."
Comic Book Goodness: 0/5. In retrospect, I really should have just taken my three dollars and lit them on fire.


SUICIDE SQUAD #1

Well, I won't lie; I've been waiting for this one for awhile. Oddly, though the entire thing takes place before Infinite Crisis (actually, it takes place even before Identity Crisis), the editorial message at the bottom of the first page tells us that it takes place before Salvation Run. Whatever. Not the point.

The point is that Ostrander's back with the Squad, and tell me if this seems familiar: Amanda Waller is leading them into a trap, Deadshot's trigger-happy, they're fighting old-school villains in the form of The People's Heroes (Pravda! Bolshoi! Molotov! Hee!), and nobody has any respect for Captain Boomerang. Plus: dinosaurs!

It all reads like it was written about 20 years ago, and I'm actually OK with that. There's a few disquieting moments --- Puma, for instance, falls for the tried-and-true Explosive In The Head trick --- and if Waller seems a tad out of character at times, I think it's because this is actually closer to where she was back when she was running the Squad, rather than her animated counterpart (or even Checkmate version).

Can't say I'd recommend this for everyone, but if you have any love for the old Squad or just are a fan of villain team-ups (and really, who isn't?), you'll probably dig this.

Best Moment: Is it wrong that I still get a kick when dinosaurs show up unexpectedly in superhero comics? No? Good.

Worst Moment: "Boomerbutt" once is kinda funny. "Boomerbutt" multiple times starts to get irritating. Just sayin'.

Comic Book Goodness: 3/5. Solid work, about what I expected, and for an eight-issue series I think it'll do nicely to soothe my Secret Six withdrawal.


FALLEN ANGEL #20 --- On the plus side, it feels like forever since we've actually been in Bete Noire, and it's good to be back. This issue focuses on Jude coming to terms with the fact that he's trapped in the city, and the efforts of Jubal to undermine his faith. That said, the art by Dennis Calero is all over the map here, ranging from "effective" to "that page looks like it took about two minutes to draw", and it hurts more than helps. It's better than usual after a lackluster four issues or so, and let's hope things get even darker in the next. CBG: 2/5.

X-FACTOR #23 --- A rare (in my book) so-so week for Peter David, as X-Factor starts to show crossover fungus developing on it, what with Huber exposed as the villain we knew him to be and the Somewhat Less Than Astonishing X-Men showing up and behaving like dorks. Major hooks into Endangered Species, and the setup for the upcoming Messiah Complex notwithstanding, the end leaves three of our heroes (four if you count a dupe) stranded in Antarctica, which could --- and should --- make for a highly entertaining next ish. CBG: 2/5.

Review Catch-Up Pt. II

OK, here we go, spoilers, etc., you get the picture.

FLASH #231 --- Waid's back, and so is Wally, Linda, and the twins, and they're a crimefightin' fam-a-lee! Bottom line is that this feels like a Flash book again, and it's bookended with the kids rescuing people from a ferry disaster in Keystone and some giant horribly betentacled monster attacking them. In between, a little history as to how we got here, a few seeds of marital discord, and a few one-liners. The only thing I didn't like was Daniel Acuna's artwork, which just seemed a bit too indistinct and muddy for me, though that may be a personal taste thing. CBG: 3/5.

CHECKMATE #17 --- A great little done-in-one showing how Checkmate's hiring practices deviate somewhat from, say, GE or IBM. (Although, strangely, they're identical to the way I imagine Microsoft tests new employee candidates.) The Villain Formerly Known As Deathtrap applies for the job of Castellan (that's the castle's security director), and Rucka and Eric Trautmann give us an amazingly 3-D picture of Deathtrap's thoughts, fears, and motivations. I continue to be amazed that this book doesn't garner more attention. CBG: 4/5.

JONAH HEX #22-23 --- Well, JH #22 is basically an alternate script treatment for The Prestige that (like the movie) contains way more talking than is good for a story that ultimately doesn't really end, it just stops. Don't bother with it. JH #23 is a different animal, told as a flashback to school children. You're not going to believe this, but Hex fights some Native Americans --- but the bad guys really turn out to be the mustachioed white army officers! I know! Can you believe it? I totally did not see that coming! Le sigh. CBG: 2/5.

DETECTIVE COMICS #835-836 --- This has to be the laziest Batman story I've read in a long time; by relying on reader assumptions, stacked coincidences, and just plain wrong-headedness, this two-parter casts Scarecrow as a vicious serial killer who essentially kills people for fun now in broad daylight and taunts the local police... you know, just like every other serial killer ever. So instead of a somewhat fascinating villain with unique motives, John Rozum turns him into Generic Killer #446.

The plot holes are so big you can drive six starships through them --- Arkham has a "general population"? Why do they let him have his mask and stuff? How is he unseen in broad daylight? Why does Batman want to kill him? --- and too numerous to list all of them. Paul Dini, please answer the white courtesy phone. Your party is trying to reach good Batman comics. CBG: 0/5.

X-FACTOR #22 --- You're probably tired of me praising this comic, but I don't care. It's really good, with great characters and dialogue. In this issue, there's pity sex, a traitor in the ranks, and an interesting new villain who wants to use the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to protect mutantkind. Plus, Guido gets off the line: "You should see some of the skinks I've dated." This issue has a lot of pieces moving into place; if you're not reading this, I'm legitimately curious as to why. Loses a few points for the stupid "Endangered Species" back-up story with Beast swallowing Dark Beast's memories or some shit that totally reminds me why I don't read about the X-Men anymore. CBG: 3/5.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #29 --- To be frank, absolutely nothing of note happens until the last page, when Bucky gets captured by Lukin, Sin, and Crossbones. The rest is a bunch of hemming and hawing and not-really-action that reads like the first 600 pages of a Tom Clancy book, the boring part where everyone is trying to figure out what's going on and that just keeps on going forever and ever and everyone is chasing everyone else but they don't know it and OHMYGOD WILL SOMEONE SHOOT SOMEONE ALREADY?!? Yeah, it's like that. I can't decide if it should gain points or lose points for showing Sharon Carter vomiting while holding an AIM beekeeper at gunpoint. CBG: 2/5.

Tomorrow: Birds of Prey, Green Lantern Corps, and The All-New Atom!

Review Catch-Up, Pt. I: All Iron Man Edition!

We're kind of all over the map here, but I wanted to get reviews out today before everyone stops reading for the last time, even if these comics are a bit dated in some cases. Ha! Ha! I am, of course, kidding. Ish.

OK, need to get the Iron Man stuff out of the way today, then the other reviews (Detective, Captain America, X-Factor, Green Lantern Corps, Jonah Hex, Checkmate, Birds of Prey) tomorrow. As always.... Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

IRON MAN #20 - #21

Well, on the one hand, #20 was the World War Hulk tie-in, and served zero purpose other than to illustrate that:

A) Dum Dum Dugan has a grudging respect for Tony Stark, which, you know, blah, and

B) Tony has a doomsday weapon that will level Manhattan and everyone in it should it come to that, which, you know, stupid.

Because we already know that Marvel's not killing off 95% of their heroes, and I don't think even Quesada would blow up two American cities in one year, right? RIGHT?!?

Which means this ish is a lot of pointless yammering between Dugan and Tony (who's captive and talking through his suit via his Stupid New Powers™. The only redeeming factor: I confess, I didn't know Dum Dum's real name was "Tim".

(Side Note: Then again, it might be funnier if it wasn't Tim, and Tony was just being a douchebag, intentionally calling him by a different wrong name every issue on account of the fact that the executive officer of SHIELD probably shouldn't have a name like Dum Dum if for no other reason than it's not really building public confidence, is it? See? Why aren't I writing Iron Man?)

(Additional Side Note: Yay! The run-on sentences are back!)

Buckle up and grab on tight, though, because reading the next issue (#21) right after this one is likely to give you whiplash, as we're yanked back into the Knauf's Mandarin storyline, there's no mention of WWH, Tony's still Director of SHIELD, etc. And two quasi-notable things happen here:

1) Graviton crushes an Initiative hero into a little ball made of hero and steel, which... Graviton? Someone decided we need to give Graviton some teeth? And didn't the Sentry throw him into the sun last year? I'm just baffled, because this is twice now that the Knaufs have used Graviton in their run, and we hadn't seen him once in like eight years before that.

2) Regular readers will note that I've generally liked the Knaufs' run thus far; this is true, but for the love of God get on with it, already. I know WWH intervened for a couple months, but it's taking far too long to get to some supervillain bashing, and frankly I'm getting bored with SHIELD.

That said, the stuff showing how Gadget (the smushed hero ball I mentioned earlier)'s death affect Tony is pretty well done, and the Maya Hansen reveal (she's working for Mandy now) is an interesting move, though I can't help but feel that they wasted two potentially good supporting characters for Tony too early (and, let's not forget, they killed Happy Hogan.)

Best Moment: I really can't think of one, for either comic, and that's not a good thing.

Worst Moment: Hey, look everybody! Tony Stark has a doomsday weapon! And Tim Dugan is the only one he trusts to employ it, which.... WTF? Avenger much, Tony? I can smell the lazy writing from here! (Also: "Tim".)

Comic Book Goodness: 1/5, but there's hope for the future. As much as I like the WWH main event, the two IM tie-ins have been wastes of issues, and Mandarin storyline needs to get going yesterday.

So, that's the state of in-continuity Iron Man. On the other hand...

IRON MAN: ENTER THE MANDARIN #1

Joe Casey writes, Eric Canete draws, and while I'm not sure what the point is (which, sadly, is a feeling I get with most of Casey's Marvel work) , it's charming in its own way.

Basically updating the Mandarin's origin story, but in a way that we don't even see most of it (!), this shows Iron Man being asked to investigate some mysterious new power broker in China (guess who), Mandarin telling the Chinese government that he's more powerful than they are (and that takes waaaaaaay too long), and IM and Mandy getting ready to throw down by issue's end.

I mentioned early on that it's charming, right? That's due almost entirely to Eric Canete's artwork, which is so different from your standard superhero fare that it reminds me more of something you'd see in Mad Magazine, believe it or not (and I'm thinking of a specific MAD artist, but damned if I can remember his name). And I think it works beautifully, really setting itself apart style-wise.

Best Moment: Seeing Tony, Happy, Pepper and company interacting like we're used to seeing them, back in the day. This is definitely old-school.

Worst Moment: That whole pissing match between Mandy and the Chinese generals could have (and probably should have) been done in one page.

Comic Book Goodness: 3/5. Interested to see how they're getting 6 issues out of this, I love the artwork, and it's old-school Iron Man. Yeah, I'm on board.

Tidbits on the 8/1 Books

Greetings Greetings Greetings

I got books. I got mostly good books. I got some great books. But I am sad that this week contains no Annihilation:Conquest chapters. Those are DAMN FINE BOOKS!!

Jonah Hex: Taking a cue from "The Prestige", Jonah meets Thomas Edison on some hunt for stolen "technology". A nice read. Nice that some of these books can come up with not a lot of violence and some fun dialogue. I liked it.

Supergirl: Tying into Amazons Attack, tis the only reason I bought it. It was...alright. At least she didn't look like a slutty dressed teen. They actually gave her some....body I guess you'd call it?

Fantastic Four: I like McDuffie's writing, especially his brief stint on the outgoing Firestorm. I enjoyed this one too. Good inner-team working. I hope Sue gets to beat some ass!

Spiderman/Red Sonja: Come on, you KNOW I had to buy this one!! It was slow. It wasn't bad. It was just slow. It should pick up in the next chapter, so I"ll at least buy the next one. Kinda a crazy scheme to make this work, but hey, its a comic, right?

Welcome to Tranquility: I think I'm going to be short-timing this book. Its appeal to me has worn down, the stories just aren't grabbing me. The last book was just not good, and this one is even picking up on the zombie craze. Sigh. C'mon Gail, I know you have more in ya than this.

Warbird: Man, MachineMan is a prick, isn't he? I"m just going to give this one an ok. But PuppetMaster? Oh come on! The AIM storyline was better than this. At least I get me some MachineMan I guess.

World War Hulk: I eat my words from much earlier on in a post where "I asked the point of World War Hulk?" Hulk Smash, Hulk Smash Good, and its just excellent. This is a damn fine "event", and glad to see its doing well. But Sentry? COME ON, he's a big wuss. Give me THOR any day, even though I know that's just not going to happen. However, go Doc Strange! OOOO, that musta hurt? So sorry Doc Strange.

Thor: I am totally impressed by this book! I"m loving it. I had doubts about JMS. I had doubts about chainmail. Still don't care about the chainmail, but I am enjoying this writing, I am enjoying this art and am damn glad that Thor is back. I love the slow pacing of bringing him back (although I sure as hell wouldn't yell about Thor kicking Hulk's ass either!!) and starting with just Thor, now Asgard, and soon his friends. Can I dip into the treasury too?

No Grimms' Fairy Tales for me this week. I think it missed the boat or something. Maybe next week.

Bye for now
Randy

Catching Up: DC Edition

Alright kids, let's figure out what the hell's been going on over in the DC books I buy, shall we? Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

DETECTIVE COMICS #832/833 --- Well, I didn't think much of the Royal McGraw Terrible Trio story, but it stuck to the basics (detecting, done-in-one, decent art) and it's biggest crime is that it's just kind of boring.

Especially when you compare it to Paul Dini's #833, the first of a two-parter with Batman and Zatanna and a genuinely shocking, lovely end-issue reveal of a certain homicidal clown (who Dini seems to understand better than anyone else has in the last five years). As long as Dini's on board, Detective remains squarely at the top of my DC reading list every month. CBG: 3/5.

(Side Note: I'm pretty certain at this point that I would pay a lot of money for a monthly Batman/Zatanna series written by Dini. They could call it Magic Knights or somesuch. This needs to happen.)

JONAH HEX #19-20 --- Kind of a dry spell here, as these two issues are some of the least memorable of the series; again there's nothing actively offensive, it's just kind of bland, and the art is in one of those fallow periods as well.

I do award bonus points for a completely ludicrous yet satisying sequence where Hex bites the head off a buzzard to use the beak to cut through ropes. You just don't get that sort of thing in, say, Green Lantern. (Though we really probably should, and Geoff Johns is probably working on it as we speak.) I also enjoyed the line "I've already got a headache, I don't need another one in Mexican." CBG: 2/5.

BIRDS OF PREY #105/106/107 --- Secret Six + Birds of Prey + Gail Simone = Comics I Need More Of. At this point, it's everything you would expect; lots of action, chock full of one-liners that are in character (which is an underrated talent these days --- anybody can throw out a cool line, but to have it jibe with the character requires, you know, skill), and a very nice present at the end in the form of a certain Norse princess with an affinity for low temperatures.

The main plot is a throwaway, but that's OK since this is really an excuse for Simone to get a bunch of characters she loves together for a good old-fashioned throwdown, and there certainly isn't anything wrong with that. CBG: 4/5.

CHECKMATE #13/14/15 --- OK, I'm kind of behind the curve here, because this is the Outsiders crossover, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy two issues of Outsiders, because if ever there was a cast I didn't give a damn about, it's the Outsiders. Regardless, not having read 52 I was a bit confused about the objective --- but that didn't matter once I got to Egg Fu, who is one grotesque sumbitch. Enjoyable, frequently shocking, and I think this remains a consistently underrated title. CBG: 3/5.

ALL-NEW ATOM ##11/12 --- The whole zombie ghost plotline wraps up, and the fact that I was glad that it wrapped up isn't a good thing. It's not that it was bad per se, but it just got a bit too confusing and ultimately depressing. That's OK --- I don't mind stories with a downbeat ending, but it'll be good to see Ryan Choi back in a more superheroic mode.

Speaking of which, there's a fanTAStic conceit in #12 where the Ivy Town newspaper is reprinted every few pages or so, and it's delightfully self-aware (you'll see what I mean). Plus, we get the Search for Ray Palmer, and the identity of the anagram-loving cabbie that's popped up so frequently revealed on the last page (and it's delicious). Good stuff, ready for the next arc. CBG: 2/5.

BONUS UNRELATED MARVEL NOTE: In yesterday's World War Hulk review, I mentioned that I thought the art was "just OK". Randy reminded me that I positively gushed about JRJR's depiction of She-Hulk, which was in fact all kinds of awesome. Noted.

Catching Up: Marvel Edition

Well, I cleared the backlog of comics waiting for me at the LCS, and boy howdy: the comics, she do take a bite! Over a hundred bucks worth of stuff (I told you it had been awhile), and surprisingly, most of it was not awful.

Instead of reviewing individual issues, I'll give you capsule run-downs on what I read, because otherwise we'll be here forever, and as The Purple One once preached, "that's a mighty long time". Marvel today, DC tomorrow, odds and ends Wednesday, kay? Kay. Massive Spoilers Ahoy!

(Man, it feels good to say that again. Even though the spoilers in question might be a month old.)

CAPTAIN AMERICA #26/27 --- Well, I must say that the whole "Bucky wants to kill Tony Stark" plot is something I'm down with, mainly for cathartic reasons, and I didn't even mind the whole Black Widow/Bucky bow-chicka-bow-bow retcon. Some odd moments, though, like the New Avengers "wake" and the Falcon's conversation with Sharon Carter that just felt... off, somehow, like they needed more space to breathe or something. And we got the obligatory "Sharon Thinks About Cashing It In" scene, so at least that's out of the way.

(Side Note: Speaking of breathing, Sharon Carter's shoulders have plenty of breathing space thanks to her Casual Spywear she just happened to have lying around. Is she designing her own line? Casual Spywear by Carter --- For The Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Who Doesn't Want Covered Shoulders! Coming soon to a Wal-Mart near you!)

But hey, we get Arnim Zola, the Red Skull, and Faustus together with DoomTech™ in an alliance that has "short-term" written all over it, and there's very little wrong with that. CBG: 3/5.

X-FACTOR #18/19 --- OK, the X-Cell "storyline" continues --- sorta --- here, but really it's all setup for the Messiah Complex event, and you know what? Peter David has me considering buying an X-Event. Mainly because:

A) it's nice to see a Marvel writer who actually, you know, went back and read about what happened to Quicksilver after House of M and bothered to use it instead of ignore it, and

B) I have a strange feeling that Messiah Complex is where we'll find out the real reason behind Jamie's Haywire Duplicates.

A lovely clockwork setpiece from Layla Miller (who we find out gets rattled when flies show up in the ointment), the Blob shows up and is appropriately disgusting, and the pieces are being moved into place. The only thing I didn't like is the art from Khoi Phan; this is a book built on dialogue, and you need someone who can nail facial expressions for that --- Phan isn't doing that for me. Pablo Raimondi to the White Courtesy Phone please! CBG: 4/5.

IRON MAN: HYPERVELOCITY #5-6 --- Did the Sopranos-style ending ruin the rest of the series? Hell, no. This was one for the technogeeks, and if even half of the ideas in here find their way into the Marvel Universe, it'll be a better place. Failed personality uploads gone rogue and banding together in robot suits? Fantastic. The U.S.S. Samuel Sawyer? Terrific. Tonyghost's personality chess match between him and Absynthe? Delightfully tense.

None of it makes any sense if you slow down to stop and think about it, but I'm not sure "slowing down" is on the agenda for a series called "Hypervelocity". Things get confusing from a panel-and-art perspective in the last issue, but after all's said and done this was a nice slice of non-continuity Iron Man with some neat ideas. CBG: 4/5, but I tend to skew high on these sorts of things these days.

MOON KNIGHT #9/10/11 --- Well, this has gone right off the rails, hasn't it? Decent idea behind the villain (though it only really matters if you've read the old Moon Knight series), but terrible execution. Issue #11 in particular was entirely incomprehensible from an art/narration perspective, and quite frankly even I'm getting a little tired of the whole swearing/graphic violence thing --- mainly because the plot isn't going anywhere.

Between the odd censoring ("shit" is "####" but they print "prick"?) and the fact that no one can agree on what Marc Spector's face is supposed to look like from panel to panel, I may be done with this, and frankly I'm a little embarrassed that I hung on this long. And why isn't this a MAX title, again? CBG: 1/5.

IRON MAN #17/18/19 --- I'm of two minds here, because between #17 and #18 I enjoy the way that they're bringing back the Ten Rings Back Piercings Of The Mandarin and Mandy himself, even if I think that the new(ish) supporting characters may be ruined just when they were starting to get interesting, and nobody seems to care that Happy Hogan's dead.

#19, though, was a complete waste, as it's essentially a reprint of the latter half of World War Hulk #1, complete with the same dialogue and everything, and that's just wrong. Nice to see the Hulkbuster armor, but I don't like the fact that the Mandarin story gets put on hold for WWH. CBG: 3/5 for the first two issues, 1/5 for the last.

WORLD WAR HULK #1 --- Regardless, I enjoyed this despite the fact that most of it was spoiled because I read Iron Man #19 first. Not much to say about it --- Hulk kicks the crap out of Black Bolt and comes to New York demanding the members of the Illuminati Hulk Rocketry Society show their faces before he levels the planet. Nothing overly offensive, and I thought the art was just OK, and it certainly accomplishes the first-ish mish, which of course is to set up the series. CBG: 3/5.

MARVEL COMICS I FORGOT TO PICK UP: Avengers Classic, Marvel Adventures Iron Man, Marvel Adventures Avengers, and I'll be getting those this week.

Till tomorrow!

Chris' Reviews: Random Edition!

Afternoon, everyone! Since the usual Joey Da Q interview over at the 'Rama was even less substantive that usual last week, no New Joe Mondays this week.

And so, I give you these quasi-reviews:

IRON MAN #16 --- Garbled storytelling up front almost torpedoes the issue in which Tony and Maya try to go all CSI on a terrorist corpse, but things brighten considerably when a shackled Mandarin goes medieval on his would-be rescuers. Also, absolutely brilliant work by Roberto de la Torre, who really cuts loose in the Mandarin scene. A confusing beginning and a hackneyed end drag the whole operation down, though. CBG: 2/5.

FELL #8 --- The densest issue so far, told entirely through Post-It notes attached to each panel, which are themselves photographs taken by Fell on a night in Snowtown. It's a "day-in-the-life" issue, and one that wraps up kind of sweetly (well, as sweet as Fell ever gets, anyway). Still love the art, still love the atmosphere. CBG: 3/5.

DETECTIVE COMICS #831 --- A cute Harley Quinn episode that only further serves to endear her to me, as she teams up with the new Ventriloquist for some hijinks that aren't what they appear to be. Good character issue for Harley, which should come as no surprise seeing as how Paul Dini is the author. Also a good scene at the end showing us once again that the new OYL Batman is much more of a good guy than the pre- Infinite Crisis jerkwad. CBG: 4/5.

IRON MAN: HYPERVELOCITY #4 of 6 --- Attention, fans of Len Kaminski: this miniseries puts the science back in Iron Man, much like Len's run did back in the day. There's about 7,000 pounds of technobabble per page, but it moves quickly, has an interesting premise, and Brian Denham's art continues to amaze. Adam Warren has my thanks for delivering what's at once a bleeding-edge cyberpunk Iron Man and a near-textbook on what makes Iron Man cool. (Hint: it's not in continuity.) CBG: 3/5.

JONAH HEX #18 --- Wow. Not only a creepy cannibal story, but a damned depressing one, as Hex's sense of justice betrays him and tragedy ensues. A somewhat confusing chain of events and Val Semeiks' art seems disjointed at times, but quite frankly the issue is worth the price for the cover alone, done by legend Bill Sienkiewicz (who might be the best "modern" cover artist ever, now that I think about it). Check it:



Awesome. CBG: 3/5.

Tomorrow: Better Know A Hero returns!

Randy Reviews Week April 4

Greetings one and all

I do not have the plethora of books that Chris has this week, and I'm fine with that. Usually its the other way around. So TAKE THAT Chris!!

I have only a few books to review, and I will say that I was pleased with the entire group this week.

Without spoilers, and without further ado, here we go:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #2

The Long Way Home, Part II

This book is far better than issue 1. And no, its not just because I get me some Giles appearances. This one didn't just "BAM", here's where we are and what is going on. I have some backfill. This book really feels like the show. I have Giles. AND, we get the last page appearance. WHOA!!! is all I"m going to say to that. I lied. That was a GREAT last page. It made me very very excited for issue 3.

Quick summary-

• we get some Buffy training girls,
• we get Giles talking to girls,
• we get Dawn and Xander chatting,
• we get Amy doing her dirty work
• we get the whole "soldier/suit" discussion about magic/slayers/missiles.
• Then we get zombies.
• Then we get the last splash page.

I was quite taken aback at the Buffy/Xander sequence- boy that threw me for quite a loop when I started reading. It did, of course, go straight downhill from there, for the gang, as usual.We are getting to see what we saw of much in the show- not just Buffy et all whooping up on dead/demon things, but the lighter touches of sister issues, relationship issues, and all that kinda jazz. I guess this would be called the emotional stuff.

Did not care for the Kenny appearance. I would like to see him dropped altogether and never used again- except for maybe demon food. With a dual cliffhanger, I am quite looking forward to issue 3-- I'm going to be extremely interested on who they bring in to "fix an issue." It also plays off some fairy tales, which makes me chuckle. And I really can't tell you why. It just does.

Rating: 4/5. Improving, engaging storyline. The appearances keep coming. The art is still on par. I love the covers though. Can't we just get Xander his eye back though. I keep seeing Nick Fury. Also, I am tagging this one as my Book of the Week.

Warbird #14
The Deal, Part 2 of 2

So, there is good, and there is not so good with this issue.Starting with the good.

• It has a psuedo happy ending.
• It packs an interesting plot twist near the end, involving Julia Carpenter, her parents and her daughter. One I was not expecting. And brings up a good point (one that I"m sure has been played out before, but I haven't seen it, so I liked it.) It made me think some.
• Gives us why Julia Carpenter is in Omega Flight.
• More AIM bad guys.
• Warbird really kinda...plays the law into her own hands. MOre of, "I want this, so I'm going to do it." Real borderline there. Its basically Tony and Carol getting what they want, and finding the reasoning behind it. I like that. Gives her a little edginess.
• I"m intrigued by her SHIELD team.
• The last page reveal.

Now, the not so good:

• Makes Julia Carpenter out to be a pretty much wuss. And she's joining a "super-group?"
• Either use the sweet ass red-jacketed WonderMan, or just don't use him. Its not his book I know, but his appearances are kind of lame.
• Tony and Carol basically setting precedents for law. Isn't this going back to "superheroes taking the law into their own hands" again? Yes, I almost mentioned this above in the good. Its a good and bad.

So, granted, there appears to be far more good than bad in this issue. I still say Warbird is far far far better after that lame CW thing. I"m actually, overall, enjoying the book again.

Rating: 3/5. I"m glad that the Julia thing is finally laid to rest (basically). And now we can get back to down and dirty, starring AIM, Warbird and...wait for it....MODOK!

Jonah Hex #18

I Walk Alone

NO Photo, because apparently no one can get it right.

And because I have no scanner available at this time. This has been my favorite Jonah Hex book to date. Wait, except for the carnival issue. This has been my second favorite Jonah Hex book to date. I was actually thinking of dropping this title, to save a few dollars here and there. But honestly, I just can't, or maybe I just don't want to. Its little one shot stories like these that make me want to continue reading. And, I think I can finally say, it was nice to see that even Jonah Hex can be wrong. That's all I'm going to say- read the book if you want to find out why I say that.

But hey, I have a question for all of you. Jonah Hex makes bundles of money on bringing in his bounties, right? So, what the hell does he do with all that money? We always see him out camping. He doesn't have 8 bags of clothes with him. Does he own a lumbermill in Canada or something? We never see him gamble. Ammunition sure as hell doesn't cost that much, even if he goes through that much in just a single issue. I was just wondering.

Also, it was great fun to read through the conversation that Jonah had with his campfire "friend." And the end of this tale, its a little twisted. All the more reason I liked it.

Rating: 4/5. As I said, one of my favorite tales so far in the Jonah Hex chronicles.

Welcome to Tranquility #5

Too Much for the Man

And this book just continues to roll out the punches. This one really packs a wallop. And we start to get to some of the "whodunnit" revelations. Not people I was suspecting.

We get an unfair fight, partially depicted on the cover.

And, we finally, finally get Hecatean!!! Oh the poor poor man finally finds the solution, and its pretty impressive. Not telling, because that would spoil some of the fun from the first few issues.

This is pretty much a "wham-bang-smash'em up fracas", all the while revealing all the plot twists. It was very well done. There were a couple of character shifts I was not expecting. Actually, I was pretty shocked. The hospital fight was good, and I was glad it had the ending it did. It only made sense that it should go that way anyway.

Also, I loved these lines of conversation:

"Police Brutality"

"Shut up Boy!"

"He touched my Heinie"

I just had to laugh. This has so far been a great book, never a slow moment, but it is not one that you can just pick up with an issue, say #5, and know what the heck is going on. If you haven't picked this up from issue 1, then wait for a trade, or go buy the back issues. But I think you'll enjoy it.

Rating: 4/5. A marvelous read. And almost any book with the next title of "Dogfight" showing a plane in it is also something to really look forward to.

Savage Tales

Issue #1
Am I a Red Sonja fan- yep. Am I a fantasy world fan- yep. Why then, wouldn't I buy Savage Tales? Heh, I did, and I enjoyed all the stories.

1. Red Sonja tale was fun, as she ripped out an earring from a thief. Its nice to see that she can pass out in taverns too.
2. The Atlantis tale was actually my favorite though from this book. The King has his ideals, his vision, and his lackeys feed him the tales of Atlanteans on the mainland in a way that only would please the king, but the drawings sure didn't depict it that way. That was really fun to read and decipher.
3. A carryover story from the regular Red Sonja books, this involved the man-wolf-warrior (I forget his name) that revels in pleasing the older gods, and now has a sworn enemy in Khulan Gath. Even though he despises "the Red Devil", I can see them teaming at some point to rid the world of Khulan Gath.
4. The last story is a native tribe, beset by aliens, both good and bad. I didn't care for this story too much, but nonetheless a decent read. It was the last of the bunch, so I muddled through thinking back to the previous three stories.

This was a pretty good book about "duping" the old pulp magazines of past: multiple stories, all parts of stories, that you have to tune in next month to read. I did get that vibe, and it was fun.
Rating: 3/5. Not all the strongest stories, but you won't always get that, and that's ok. The art was very pretty though, especially the Atlantis story.

Randy Reviews March 21

Greetings one and all!! I bought books, and let me tell you, I really want to tell you about them. Not a bad book in the lot. I was very very pleased with the books this week. Without further ado, and spoiler-free too, here they are.

Amazing Spider-Man #539
Back in Black, Pt. 1 of 5

Yes, yes, I bought into the hype. Or at least I'd thought I'd give it a try. I am a fan of JMS from his Babylon 5 days. I haven't been a big of fan in his comics writing days.Don't get me wrong, he usually weaves a good tale. The problem is the weave- sometimes it takes sooooo long to get there, and then its just kinda punchless.Regardless, its usually a good tale. This book is not the case. Its a great tale, and I am very glad that I picked it up.
Its raw. That's the easiest way to put it. Its Peter Parker raw. This book is just full of pure, raw emotion, and never, ever lets up. We all know how its going to end, its not meant to be a suprise any longer with the THOUSANDS of news posts and such (anyone miss the old days when we could be shocked and taken aback by comic happenings?) But the end of this chapter is well-played out. The art, at first, I was not happy with. But, as I re-read it, it too, just helps to emphasize the pure raw emotion of Peter Parker. I don't ever recall seeing a character ever being this...driven?
I really wasn't expecting much- I got a great surprise though at the end, when I found that this was really well done! This is no longer your whiny, fun, down-to-earth Spider-Man. This one you can really fear.
Rating: 4/5. This is a Peter Parker/Spider-Man that I would not ever want to face! And I really liked that in this character.

Warbird #13
The Deal, Pt. 1 of 2

I cannot say enough of how boring and bad this book was during CW. It really screwed with the character, and you could tell it was all forced during this time.Finally, I am happy to say, that this issue reverts to its former...better self.We have an unhappy Warbird. You can tell that she is not happy about CW, and really reflects that ESPECIALLY with a great piece involving Iron Man. Its made JUST FOR YOU CHRIS!!
This ish explains a bit about why she was chosen to lead the Mighty Avengers (and the Mighty part too!), what she will be doing in her solo book, and the NICE!! ride she now has. Must be nice to have DoS Tony Stark in your hip pocket. Sigh. If only we could all know someone like that.
I will say that I do not care for the cover. Its just too...pretty for me. Too touched up. It is pretty, dont' get me wrong. Just...eh..I don't know...to model-ish. The interior art was up to my par though, and suits the book well.
Warbird now has all kinds of directions to go, and I can foresee lots of tales that can be told here.
I was actually looking to drop this book, but this one issue will keep me onboard for a couple more, especially now that I like the direction it has taken.
Rating: 3/5. Started kinda slow, and was left a bit unexplained later. The Tony bits are great, especially my second favorite scene of the week.

Brave and the Bold #2
Lords of Luck: Ventura Chapter 2

Why is it that Supergirl is so well done OUTSIDE of her own book? The banter between characters was very strong, they played well off each other, and holy crap was Supergirl NOT HILARIOUS when she um, dressed down? Was it completely outlandish? Abso-friggin-lutely, and I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. I could not stop laughing my ass off when she did that from her chat with Green Lantern.

Mark Waid is a great writer- am I coming to that conclusion way late in the game? Fun, fun and more fun is this book. It was very wordy in parts, but the dialogue was so well done that I honestly just wanted to read more. I want this team-up more, due to the repercussions that COULD happen! All I will say is "Poor Hal", as I laugh just typing this. I just laughed again just thinking of of Supergirls reactions to Hal when she um "goes into disguise mode". Oh, and there is a part with Batman and the new Beetle too. I really enjoyed the Beetle's scenes in that discussion. I'm loving the "kids vs. the pros" vibe I"m getting from this book.
Rating: 5/5. I'm sorry gang, this just couldn't be funnier, with great dialogue, great action, and just overall a really strong book. Great job to Waid and Perez!!

X-Factor #17

This was the only "average" book of the week, which is certainly not a down turn because X-Factor has been a strong read every month. And this trend continues. Great dialogue again between Madrox and Layla, Rictor and Rahne (though I still tire of Rictor every month, but at least he's not a dick!) and Madrox and the end-game character, Val Cooper.

As usual, good intentions go sour. X-Factor is dragged into the middle again. And lots of ice cream too boot. At this point though I'd rather start to see more team interaction, less Madrox collecting his dupes. Each one of those could be stories themselves (see last ish) and would rather see these played out elsewhere. At least they are much more readable in small chunks like was done in this issue.
Rating: 3/5. Always on the good side. As I mentioned, I would like to see more team action. But great dialogue that didn't bog me down.

Birds of Prey #104
Whitewater Part 1: Crystal Ascension

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to present my book of the week! This book has everything I want in a book.I have my favorite writer, Gail. I have the Secret Six. I have heroes in disguise. I have heroes in disguise having fun at the expense of others. I have action. I have great dialogue amongst EVERYONE. And, I have a rocking surprise at the end. (Side Note: this surprise has been revealed on a Newsarama interview with Gail. (I read all the interviews with Gail.)I thought Brave and the Bold was a fun book?! This one was even more of a ride than that one! I do so love the Barda reactions to situations. She has been a great change of pace to this book.Basically: BoP needs to steal something. Secrex Six needs to protect something. We all know where that is going to lead.
Rating: 5/5. I would go higher, but I'll behave. As I said, this book has everything that I could want in a book.

Bonus Review:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 8, #1, The Long Way Home, Part 1

1. 
   I so neglected to review this book last week. Basically because I'm just dumb and spaced it.
2. 1. Did I like the book? Yes, I liked it. Didn't love it.
   2. Do you need to know the tv series? Honestly, yes you do to understand the ending. That was a little disappointing, as I had heard you could just pick this up and run with it, especially for new readers. For fans of the show, they are going to love it.
   3. Was it true to how the characters were based? Yes, the dialogue was dead on, but it should be, given who is writing the book.
   4. How was the art? Eh. Meh. Some characters were "pictured" like their characters. Buffy was not. Well, except for the cover art. Do I really need exact likenesses? Nah, and the action was captured very well.
   It jumps right from the Season 7 finale, and does a great job with that.
   However, I do not like the 1600 or so slayers around the world being a task force fighting evil wherever it may be. Its Buffy, the Slayer.
   THE.
   SLAYER.
   Singular. Not plural. That's not really the story I want to read. I want to read Buffy. The Gang. Their adventures.
   Am I still going to buy the book? Yes, I will be. I have hope that things will improve, and besides, as a fan of the tv show, and season 6 sucking ass, I stuck with it thru 7, which wasn't horrible.

Rating: 3/5. Still giving it a good rating, as I do enjoy the characters, and it left me looking forward to next ish with the "antagonist". And dagnabbit, gimme some Giles! Wait, did that sound wrong...?

Randy Reviews March 14

I got books! I got books! Not a lot, but I got a few books this week. And I want to tell you about them, you beautiful blog readers you!

And yes, unlike my counterpart, spoiler free reviews. Because, really, where's the fun in that?
Hrm, what if one day Chris gives out false spoilers? All yours Chris!

In no particular order, here we go:



52
Week 45

Black Adam kicks ass. Need I say more? I have not been a regular reader of this weekly series, but when it comes to Black Adam, I am intrigued. Don't know why, but this is one character I dig reading about. How WWIII revolves around just him, I don't know that either.

Anyway, Black Adam smashes everything in site. We all apparently knew that was happenign from last ish'es events. And did I mention he smashes everything? Nothing is spared, well, except for one person, who most people don't think is going to make it out of "52" alive anyways.

The worlds powers tremble in fear and awe, shock and surprise. Interesting to see the Chinese take on all this- must be something from the series that I don't have much clue on, but interesting nonetheless. I believe that one government even speaks to this as WWIII, and when are the superheroes going to step in.

I enjoyed it, just because of Black Adam. Whyfore now are they making him a world power/worldsmasher, I don't know? Couldn't this be in the past too? If he's been this "big a power", why haven't we seen this before from him?
Ah well, guess its just a next step in evolution.

Rating: 3/5. It has Black Adam. So I liked it. Flaws? Sure, but easy to overlook.



Grimm's Fairy Tales
#13
Beauty and The Beast, Pt. 1

Hey, the covers are, how would we put this, T & A, but the book inside, for the most part, is not. However, these are not books for reading to the younger audiences. This book, overall, hinges on the much darker, truer to the actual tales side of Grimm, and some of it is just downright nasty.

This issue, is not horrible in grotesque or sleazy manners. Dark, yes, like the Fairy Tales were originally done, but this one is not all out "butchershop" or connotating like other issues. (Hello, Hansel & Gretel)

This ish though the art is a little sub-par from what I have seen in the past- not as sparkly and pretty. Dark tale, dark art maybe? Playing catch-up to the schedule? Doesn't appear to be the usual artist as past books.
Good story, rolling into the "Fairy Tale" part well, but need to adjust to this artwork.

Rating: 2/5. I have seen some better work, and a part 2? Gah! Side Note: Looking forward to trying the Wonderland take that is upcoming next month, and for 99 cents, what the heck!



Moon Knight
#8

Three weeks too late. Might have been cool to see three weeks ago, but waaay too late to really be a great tale.
I think CW has really messed up a few books, with characters (Warbird) and storyline (Moon Knight.) This was definitely not a "good feeling, continuous story" in the MK arcs.

So, how does this Moon Knight rate so far? I don't have a good answer yet. The players are in place, though I do miss Marlene. But this is one friggin' dark character, with deep issues and just, to be blunt, is fucked up!
But I like it, as odd as that may seem. I dont' care for Finch's art though- he's not a muscle bound hero like others.
I LOVE the fact that he is going back to police contacts to do his work- now THAT is where MK belongs- street level solutions to street level problems. I cannot say how happy I am about that. (Yes yes, I know it won't be "street level" vs whomever this "Midnight Man" is, but its still not say....the Green Goblin!)
Spector never was an "ass" per se, to his staff, and is one part of the book I am disliking. In this case, he is pretty much a prick to Nedda, his long time serving maid/housekeeper/cook, whatever we want to call her here.
Did love the fact why Steve Rogers was there though- he was SO dead on!

And once again, as with this book and Manhunter, I am so not going to give them a fair review.

Rating: 4/5. Too late, felt like a book that really didn't need to happen (thanks friggin CW), but liking the direction for the most part.


New Avengers
#28

I bought this arc for the Elektra appearances only. Sadly, this issue only has Elektra on the last page, incoming!!
It has a nice little side story of Luke Cage buying groceries in a post-reg world.
It has a silly piece on there new "hideout" in New York.
It has a silly little piece on where they go to hide-out in Japan, hiding from the Hand and Elektra.
I do like who is in the hide-out though. Interesting bit o' history.
This issue should clear up some of those lame rumours about "Cap alive at the Raft" I've been reading about.

Next issue should be a big showdown fight, NA v Elektra and friends.


And, I finally figured out why I have issues with the New Avengers, as a whole. I have a problem with the word Avengers, and their history. Why can't this title be "New Defenders" or "New Champions", or something "New" altogether? At least I finally figured it out. And yes, smoke filled the room while I tried to put that together.


Rating: 2/5. Not what I expected, some lame stuff, but some good stuff too. And once the Elektra arc is over, so is this series for me. PS: Ronin- speaks like has the brains of a 12 year old street punk hoodlum. Its just dumb.



Wonder Woman
#5

#5??!!! Gah, Allan Hienberg, please stay in television, and stay out of comics. My regular, arc closure is now going to be a one spot special, of an arc that pretty much sucked ass anyways? Gee, thanks DC.
However, I do get some Will Pfeiffer writing, which I do enjoy. This was a well-written piece, but a cliched piece we have all seen before. Then again, its a filler issue, what else should I expect? Still, we don't see this as much as we use to way back when, and reminded me of a 70's era book.
This whole Agent Prince thing just needs to go so far away and never be seen again. Its dumb, recycled and is just not good. Hell, the Manhunter book right now has a far superior WonderWoman that the dang Wonder Woman book itself. What does that tell us?
I am so hoping that the new writer does some major improvements in a character with a rich past so chock full of possible storylines.
I would hate to drop WW. The Rucka books were stellar, ever since they have just been one big drag.
Rating: 2/5. I'm being generous, but I like Pfeiffer, as he does a great job with Catwoman, and is writing the new Amazons Attack Mini forthcoming. Maybe we will finally get to see the ditching of Agent Prince for a long standing appearance of WW.

Later All
~R