Comic Book Reviews: December 14, 2016

Got three comics this week. Here they are.

Spider-Man (2016) #10

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/55704/spider-man_2016_10

I usually hate tie ins to big comic book events, but this was pretty good and added a little bit to the character of Miles Morales. Miles returns and hints at what will happen in the next Civil War II issue. It’s somewhat emotional and definitely got me a little hyped for the final issue of Civil War II.

Score: 6/10

 

Suicide Squad (2016) #8

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/suicide-squad-2016/suicide-squad-8

If you like Jim Lee’s art, then buy it. If not, there is nothing for you here. The story is meh.

Score: 4/10

 

Inhumans vs. X-Men (2016) #1

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61594/ivx_2016_1

This was my favorite book of the week. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lenil Yu’s art. While many may not like it, I really do so that was nice. The story was pretty good and served the purpose of a first issue; it set up the massive action that will likely come in future issues. The motivations for both sides are simple, but make sense unlike in Civil War II. I’m looking forward to where this series goes. Most of all, I’m just happy that Marvel is giving the X-Men some attention. I feared marvel was going to kill the X-Men books because they didn’t have the film rights. Let’s hope that is not the case.

Score: 6.5/10

Comic Book Reviews: December 7, 2016

Four books caught my eye this week. Here they are in alphabetical order.

 

Batman (2016) #12

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/batman-2016/batman-12

This whole issue is Batman working his way towards where he was last issue. I can see that the writer made the attempt to shed light on Batman’s psychology and perspective, but all of Batman’s narration sounded really corny. I just felt myself getting yanked through the fourth wall with how cheesy some of these lines are. Also, when you repeat the same line over and over again, it can either make the line more meaningful or draw attention to a badly written line. This issue drew my attention to some really cheesy writing. The art was nice though.

Score: 3/10

 

Justice League (2016) #10

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/justice-league-2016/justice-league-10

An okay issue. Just more Justice League stories. I feel like there is definitely a desire in the market for more Justice League stories and this scratches that itch. Nothing spectacular unfortunately.

Score: 3/10

 

The Unworthy Thor (2016) #2

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61719/the_unworthy_thor_2016_2

The best comic book I read this week. Coipel’s art is awesome and need not be further discussed. This issue of Thor felt very much like an issue of the Silver Surfer or another cosmic space book. It also somewhat ties into what happened in Secret Wars and acknowledges what occurred there. Great book and the only real book that was worth purchasing this week.

Score: 6.7/10

 

The Walking Dead #161

Official site is https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/the-walking-dead-161

I’m so tired of this book. Kirkman has not thrown that many curveballs or plot twists since the television show came out. Any twists he throws out feels like it lacks impact. I’m about ready to drop this series.

Score: 2.5/10

Comic Book Reviews: November 30, 2016

Only two comic books picked up last week. Here they are.

Inhumans vs. X-Men (2016) #0

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61593/ivx_2016

This is an issue setting up the next big event. I was filled with dread when I read this book. I fear it is just another step in shitting on X-Men because Marvel/Disney does not own the movie rights. I hope they don’t kill off the X-Men. The story is just Emma Frost going around preparing for war with the Inhumans.

Score: 3/10 Please stop fucking up the X-Men Marvel. For crying out loud, without Sony making the Spider-Man and X-Men movies, superhero movies wouldn’t even exist.

 

Suicide Squad (2016) #7

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/suicide-squad-2016/suicide-squad-7

I enjoyed half the book… because only half of the book is of Jim Lee’s art. I skimmed the other story, but I didn’t love it. Only buy this book if you like Suicide Squad and you need Jim Lee’s art in your life.

Score: 4/10

Comic Book Reviews: November 23, 2016

Just three comics caught my attention this week. Here they are.

 

Chew #60

Official site is https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/chew-60

The final issue of Chew. Something I’ve always appreciated about this book is that it is a funny book. There are some serious parts, but I never felt that that was where the book shined. The book shined when it was telling food based jokes. And with the end of this series, we end with a mostly funny issue. This was a good series and I would easily buy the trade paperbacks as a gift for a friend. So long Chew, you were fun.

Score: 6.5/10

 

Death of X (2016) #4

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/60432/death_of_x_2016_4

Man, I freaking hate Marvel/Disney sometimes. The story in this book played out exactly like I thought from the first issue. This really is series whose main purpose is to kill Cyclops, which was entirely unnecessary. Damn the person who decided that not having the movie rights to X-Men meant giving the green light to completely destroying the X-Men comic book line. What a damn fools. If Marvel/Disney was being honest with itself, then they’d give Sony some credit for creating the superhero genre in the first place. Instead, we get another shitty X-Men book that kills what was once a great character for no good reason.

Score: 3/10

 

Civil War II (2016) #7

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/59847/civil_war_ii_2016_7

Like the past couple of books in this miniseries, nothing much happens until the end and we’re left with another cliffhanger. At least this series is ending soon. The art is good though.

Score: 4/10

Comic Book Reviews: November 16, 2016

Here are the books I picked up this week and my opinions on them.

Batman (2016) #11

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/batman-2016/batman-11

Batman’s and his new crew have broken into Bane’s jail in hopes of abducting Psycho Pirate and using him to cure Gotham Girl. As I’ve written on in the past, Batman is often times a team book. You can only explore the character so much before that becomes redundant, so exploring the other character in Batman’s world becomes a necessity if you want to delve further into Batman lore. There are a number of mysteries at play here, primarily the circumstances around Catwoman committing mass murder and the true nature of the Ventriloquist’s mental illness. I guess we’ll learn more about this in the future since only crumbs were dropped in this issue.

Score: 5.3/10

 

Doctor Strange (2015) #14

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/55428/doctor_strange_2015_14

Bachalo’s art is great as always and the first thing I love about this book. The other thing is the trippiness of the story. Doctor Strange to me is the gateway to the kind of trippy, magical, horror stories that can’t be told through other superheroes. In this issue, Doctor Strange is in hell and needs to use his astral projection to go inside his own stomachand defeat some evil bacon he ingested before it kills him. Yeah, there’s some trippy shit going on here. This is a funny, weird, gross issue and my favorite book of the week.

Score: 7.7/10

 

Infamous Iron Man (2016) #2

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61548/infamous_iron_man_2016_2

I am seriously loving this book. The concept of a reformed Doctor Doom trying to be a good guy is so fun. It’s also really interesting to see this super villain try to reason and figure out what a superhero would do because he simply has no conscience. Additionally, I love Maleev’s art and it suits this book perfectly. I feel like Maleev’s ability to draw magic, darkness, and mystery is just impressive. I’m definitely going to keep up with this book and this is my second favorite book of the week.

Score: 7.5/10

 

Invincible #131

Official site is https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/invincible-131

So, Kirkman’s out of ideas for Invincible and  has decided to end the series. I guess this is the beginning of the end and who knows how he’ll write it. Maybe they get a happy ending. Maybe they all die. I’m hoping for an ending that offers a critique of the superhero comic book genre, some sort of statement about the current state of comic books. That was what the point originally was. Kirkman seemed to want to subvert the standard superhero story when he first started writing this book. Who knows what he wants to do now.

Score: 5.4/10

 

Justice League (2016) #9

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/justice-league-2016/justice-league-9

I think Hitches best work was on Millar’s Ultimates series. His subsequent work hasn’t felt as detailed or fluid. Or maybe it’s just that the stories he’s been given aren’t great. Either way, this isn’t a great book.

Score: 3/10

 

Reborn #2

Official site is https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/reborn-2

If you’ve ever read a Millar book before, you should know what to expect here. If not, then expect to find a bunch of big ideas, imperfectly stitched together with some light humor thrown in. This is not a serious book, nor is it a fantasy book. It feels like any other Millar book where he takes some ideas he had and throws them all together. The story isn’t particularly meaningful, but it is fun to explore this new world. Also like past Millar books, Millar has managed to land another amazing artist in Capullo. There is some amazing art here and that alone could justify a purchase.

Score: 6/10

 

Spider-Man (2016) #9

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/55703/spider-man_2016_9

A Civil War II tie in. Nice to get some color on the other characters in Miles Morales’ world, but nothing much happens here.

Score: 3/10

 

Suicide Squad (2016) #6

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/suicide-squad-2016/suicide-squad-6

I read this for Jim Lee’s art and for some reason, they decided to have even less of his art than normal. Lee illustrates only half of this book, which in my opinion means the price should be half off.

Score: 3/10

 

Thanos (2016) #1

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61697/thanos_2016_1

I was curious what happened to Thanos after Secret Wars and now I get my answer. Thanos is dying and some characters I’ve barely ever seen before seem to be scheming around it. Not a great issue and I’m not really interested in reading the next one.

Score: 2.5/10

 

Trinity (2016) #3

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/trinity-2016/trinity-3

My goodness,, Clay Mann’s art is amazing. It just has this very mythological, epic feel to it. I would buy this book just for the art, but any book that tries to delve into the mythos of a long standing superhero like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, deserves a purchase in my opinion. If you like these characters and like the art, you should definitely buy this book.

Score: 6.5/10

 

Comic Book Reviews: November 9, 2016

I’ve decided that instead of writing a bunch of individual posts, I’m just going to write a short review for each comic book released today. Less clutter. I read a number of things last week, but since it’s already been a week, I’ll only bring up two.

 

All Star Batman (2016) #4

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/all-star-batman-2016/all-star-batman-4

Batman continues his quest to get Two Face to the house. It was cool to see the Court of Owls take part. This whole series has been a showcase of the bad guys in the DC Universe. Romita’s art is fine and his art combined with the final panels definitely reminded me of Millar’s Kick-Ass.

Score: 6.5/10

 

Invincible Iron Man (2016) #1

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/55536/invincible_iron_man_2016_1

So something happened to Tony Stark at the end of Civil War II, we don’t know what, but he’s gone. Riri Williams, a black girl from Chicago, is a young genius who’s built here own suit of armor. It’s just a first issue so not much is going on, but it looks promising. I also enjoyed Caselli’s art. The last time I saw his art was in Secret Warriors.

Score: 5/10

Comic Book Review: Superman (2016) #10

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/superman-2016/superman-10

For years now, DC Comics has tried to reproduce the youthfulness and success of the old Teen Titans stories with debatable results. In my opinion, the primary attraction towards those stories was watching a group of teenage, sidekicks as they come of age and try to fulfill their potential. The Teen Titans was a superhero story for teenage readers to relate to. Reading Superman #10 then, was in many ways a revelation. For the first time in a long time, I got that same feeling I had when I read the old Teen Titans books. I felt that youthfulness of young heroes trying to grow up and be heroes while having fun at the same time.

In this book, Damian Wayne, the current Robin finally meets with the new Superboy, the son of the new Superman, and fisticuffs and hilarity ensue. What’s striking is how Superboy and Robin are very clearly characterized. Superboy is a humble, good natured little boy raised by loving parents who’ve tried to teach him responsibility. Robin has spent the majority of his young life training with ninja assassins and Batman. Robin’s even died and come back to life already. Robin is also incredibly arrogant and condescending; he’s a little jerk.

It’s surprising then, how much chemistry the two characters have. They don’t really get along right now, and yet it’s not hard to see how they would. There’s a camaraderie in their childishness and it’s tons of fun to watch. In fact, this new Superboy and Robin could easily form the core of a new generation of Teen Titans and spawn a whole host of stories I would love to read. I hope you’re listening DC, these two characters need their own book and maybe a few more young superheroes to join their team.

In regards to the art, anyone whose been following DC Comics should be familiar with Tomasi’s style. It’s cartoony and fluid, which perfectly suits this book.

Score: 7/10 A fun starting point to what will hopefully be a whole bunch of stories starring Robin and Superboy.

Comic Book Review: The Walking Dead #160

Official site is https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/the-walking-dead-160

The Walking Dead comic book is really boring. It feels like all the excitement was sucked out of this book and regurgitated in the television show. It definitely feels like Kirkman’s attention is focused there.

I remember when I first started reading this series. Every subsequent arc brought something new and unforeseeable. It showed you the depths of human depravity. Deeper and deeper the hole of depression and hopelessness went, and the deeper the sadness of the narrative, the stronger the core characters became.

This is what I felt until the television show came out. Now the book feels like a shell of it’s former self. There are too many characters, to the point where the deaths of main characters don’t really feel all that sad anymore. There was also this sense of isolation and impending doom that wasn’t there before. Now Rick and crew are part of a big, new world with lots of neighbors and allies. It’s just… not horror anymore. It’s not a psychological exploration of the human condition. It feels more like Kirkman is simply testing ideas here that he can use in his television show, which just depresses me.

Which leads me to the following conclusion: Kirkman should end the Walking Dead comic book. He won’t, because the comic book cross promotes with the television show, but he should. He recently announced that he was ending his book, Invincible, because the story had run its course. He had told all the stories he wanted to tell and there wasn’t much else to add. Which is great. It feels like the Walking Dead is in the same situation. He should just end the book and focus of television.

Oh, and if you need a synopsis of the story, Rick’s army is fighting the Whisperers and the Whisperers attack a city. That’s about it.

Score: 5/10 This story arc lacks the weight of past story arcs. This book feels like a book that has gone beyond its expiration date.

Comic Book Review: The Unworthy Thor (2016) #1

Official site is http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61718/the_unworthy_thor_2016_1

Coipel and Thor, together again. Coipel is one of those artists that if I see a book by them on the shelf, I’ll just buy it. It doesn’t even matter what it is. Seeing him draw Thor, one of the best series that he’s ever been on, is just a cherry on top.

In this first issue, we find Thor fighting to reclaim his power. Thor is no longer worthy to carry Mjolnir and without that hammer, he posses but a fraction of the power he once had. Futher, the way that Thor became unworthy also seems to have affected him psychologically, weakening him both in physical power and in mental fortitude. Thor is now a weak man. He still has the strength of an Asgardian, but he is no longer the unstoppable force he once was.

This all started back in Original Sin. Nick Fury whispered something in Thor’s ear, thus making him unworthy of wielding the hammer Mjolnir. Readers have waited years, but Marvel has yet to reveal what was actually said. One of the key draws of this series is that maybe we will finally find out what Fury said and what took away Thor’s powers.

Score: 6/10 Coipel’s art needs no explanation. It’s great. I’m really looking forward to Jason Aaron revealing what Fury said and hopefully a big reveal further exploring and redefining the character of Thor.

 

Comic Book Review: Batman (2016) #10

Official site is http://www.dccomics.com/comics/batman-2016/batman-10

I think a lot of people forget that a big aspect of the Batman is that he is a leader. His books are often times a team book. He leads the Justice League, he leads the Bat Family, and in this issue, he leads a team of bad guys.

It’s a necessary aspect for the evolution of Batman. So many stories have explored Bruce Wayne, so much so that they we’ve had to tell and retell his past over and over again. The allies and villains then, are essential in continuing that narrative and the exploration of Batman’s world.

In this issue, Batman has assembled a squad of bad guys from Arkham Asylum in hopes of breaking into Bane’s prison and kidnapping Psycho Pirate. Psycho Pirate seems to be the only person who can help Gotham Girl, another new ally in Batman’s world.

The most interesting part for me are the hints dropped on what made Catwoman the most dangerous villain in Arkham Asylum. Apparently, she killed 237 terrorists in cold blood, earning her a death sentence by lethal injection. Batman intervenes and recruits her to his team, but it still isn’t fully explained how she came to be a mass murderer. I’m looking forward to that reveal.

Score: 5/10 An interesting, though unoriginal Batman story. Batman’s had many, many teams in the past and the dynamics involved in this team have yet to be fully explored. The most attractive aspect of this story is the possibility of Batman having his own suicide squad.