I’ve been wanting to do this style of comic book review for a long time, but I never end up reading all my new comics before the weekend. However, I’ve got some time on Wednesdays now, so I really want to start. My long reviews take awhile to write, and I can’t do one for every comic I read. So from this week forward (hopefully), I’ll be providing some shorter, quicker reviews on the week’s new comics.

I buy a large smattering of comics across both DC and Marvel, and a few Indy titles. If there is any comic you’d like me to review, let me know via e-mail or in the comments.

Let’s begin!

Amazing Spider-Man #696

Amazing Spider-Man #696
Writer: Dan Slott & Christos Gage
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Phil Urich is one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. His brief series as the good Green Goblin in the 90s was the first comic book series that I ever bought and read with my own money. So of course his transformation into the villainous, perverted Hobgoblin was sad. I preferred him as a down-on-his-luck hero. But with a character as minor and obscure as Phil, I’ve mostly just been grateful that he’s even appearing anywhere. So I’ve been following his career as the new Hobgoblin, and it comes to a head in this issue, as original Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley, returns to New York City to crush Phil for good – and, of course, Spider-Man is caught in the middle.

I’ve mostly been enjoying Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man run. He brings a light-hearted feel to the wall-crawler, with brightly colored adventures and really personal stories. This one is no different. Peter Parker has just been outed as the man who builds all of Spider-Man’s gadgets at Horizon Labs, so the Hobgoblin kidnaps Peter for the Kingpin. They want to hold him hostage so that Spider-Man will turn over a special briefcase he’s holding, little knowing that Peter actually is Spider-Man. So it’s up to Peter’s boss, Max Modell, to bring the briefcase in an attempt to free Peter. But just as the exchange is about to go down, Roderick Kingsley attacks, determined to kill Phil.

In the chaos of the Hobgoblin War, Peter and Max escape with the briefcase – which holds a key to Norman Osborn’s entire Goblin arsenal!

Comic rating: 4/5: Good!

This was a fun adventure, and your typical Peter Parker in trouble story. The Hobgoblin War idea is pretty cool, as the characters look absolutely wicked under Camuncoli’s pencils. Seeing them battle is the highlight of the issue. Orange is always a great color for super-villains. I’m hoping Phil puts up a fight, and the idea that Roderick is threatening Phil’s girlfriend might bring some heroism out of Phil. One can hope. The Peter action was fun as he pulled off some web-slinging skill, while simultaneously trying to keep Max from deducing the truth. So yeah, entertaining story, fun characters and the hope that one of my all-time favorite comic book characters gets to shine.

Join me after the jump for more! Including AvX: Consequences, Batman Incorporated, Invincible Iron Man, Talon and Wolverine MAX!

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AvX: Consequences #3

AvX: Consequences #3
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Scot Eaton

There is probably no way that I can review this comic without being incredibly biased. Frequent readers of my blog will know that I am a diehard Cyclops supporter coming out of Avengers vs. X-Men, and this is the series that follows Cyclops’ life post-battle – and it’s amazing! Gillen just gets it. He seems to have the exact same opinion and outlook for Cyclops that I do following the Big Event this summer. When Cyclops verbally smacked down Wolverine in issue #2, I was cheering. And this issue continues Cyclops’ exciting story, with a wonderful final page.

Cyclops is locked up in prison following Avengers vs. X-Men, and he’s made a new friend in cellmate Jake, one of the many people who manifested new mutant powers after Hope used the Phoenix to restart the mutant race. Cyclops kicks a violent inmate’s ass in the beginning, then tells Jake about Wolverine’s school, and how they’ll be able to help him with his powers once he gets out of prison. I love that Cyclops didn’t hesitate to promote Wolverine’s school, as long as it means helping mutants. In the end, Cyclops uses a little packet of metal dust to communicate with Magneto on the outside, by writing in the dust. Magneto asks if he should break Cyclops out, but Cyclops – being incredibly badass – remarks that he knows he is a political prisoner, and he’s not going to let the Avengers turn him into a criminal.

Bad. Ass.

There are a few other short scenes in the book. Iron Man is told that his technology probably can’t help rebuild K’un Lun; Hope breaks out of her boarding school to go find Cable; Wolverine and Captain America struggle with how to bring in Cyclops’ team; and Kitty Pryde is a smug bitch by visiting Emma Frost in prison just to gloat. Because that’s how the Wolverine side is acting these days.

Comic rating: 4/5: Good!

Like I said, I’m absolutely in love with Cyclops’ in this series. This is exactly how I want him acting after Avengers vs. X-Men. He was right all along, and he isn’t responsible for what the Phoenix made him do. He’s smart enough to recognize this, but also know that he lost the big fight, so he’s got to live under Captain America’s boot. Cyclops hasn’t been turned into a sniveling weasel or a diabolical super-villain. He’s still a hero, just one dealing with a very unfavorable situation. I love it. And the scene with Magneto and the metal dust was brilliant.

The rest of the comic isn’t particularly interesting. Apparently enough time has passed that Hope lived and had adventures in a boarding school? That seemed rather sudden and random, especially since it was just a montage on one page to jump forward to her search for Cable. Iron Man’s brief scene was meaningless, and Kitty just came off as a total bitch as she rubbed her side’s victory in Emma’s face. Emma handled it well, though. I was also happy with the art. It’s clean, it’s detailed and it looks fine. This has been a great mini-series so far.

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Batman Inc #4

Batman Incorporated #4
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham

Someday I’m going to have to go back and reread all of Grant Morrison’s Batman in one sitting, because I think then it’ll make more sense. I’ve enjoyed his run on Batman, for the most part, and have definitely been enjoying Batman Incorporated. Though I think it lost a lot of steam in the reboot. Now it feels like just another Batman series, albeit with a bunch of allies and buddies running around. And there are so many buddies and different plots, I fear that I’m getting a little lost. I bet this would all make more sense and have a deeper impact in one sitting, rather than reading month to month to month.

For those who don’t know, Batman Incorporated is based on the idea that Batman has decided to make his war against crime a worldwide affair. So using Bruce Wayne’s incredible wealth, he traveled the world to recruit other street-level vigilantes into a team. Batman wants to stop the evil organization Leviathan, which is run by longtime foe and love interest, Talia al Ghul. Talia is pissed off because her son, Damian, chose his father over her and joined his side. Who is Damian’s father? Why, it’s Batman, of course. And Damian turned against his mother and became the new Robin. Well in this issue, Batman – while undercover as Matches Malone – has been taken captive by some Leviathan goons. So the heroes of Batman Incorporated launch an attack to save him. Meanwhile, despite being ordered to stay hidden in the Batcave, Damian has joined the fight as well. He’s ditched his Robin costume and made a new one as Redbird so that the bad guys won’t recognize him.

The good guys fight, Batman is saved, and there are a few surprises. The hero Wingman is revealed to be Jason Todd. Except that I don’t remember anything about Wingman from previous issues. That’s what I mean by suffering from reading this series issue by issue. A big deal is made out of Wingman’s identity, but I don’t remember him at all. The issue ends with Batman telling Damian that the only way to stop Talia is if Damian gives up being Robin and returns to his mother. That doesn’t seem like something Batman would suggest, so I’m gonna say this is a fake out.

Comic rating: 4/5: Good.

I enjoyed the issue, but like I said, it was all over the place. Grant Morrison’s Batman has been great, and this was no exception, I just wish I had a better understanding of what was happening. Batman’s allies are a lot of fun, especially when he calls on favorite characters of mine, like Nightwing and Red Robin. The Jason Todd reveal was wonky, but only because I don’t remember anything Wingman has done. I know Morrison wrote an evil Jason Todd story only a few years ago, and the reasoning for Jason posing as Wingman wasn’t really explained…but I guess one just has to give Morrison the benefit of the doubt. He’s earned it. The art by Burnham was his usual quality, though here it felt a little rushed and sloppy. Just a little though, not enough to ruin the good comic.

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Iron Man #527

Invincible Iron Man #527
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Salvador Larroca

I can’t believe I read an entire Iron Man series from start to finish. I have never particularly cared about the character, but when Faction and Larroca launched this series in the wake of the first Iron Man film, I picked it up on a whim and have enjoyed it ever since. Fraction wrote a great Tony Stark, with some truly memorable and wild adventures. I especially liked the time Tony was a worldwide fugitive, hunted by Norman Osborn. And this final story with the Mandarin was great as well. It’s especially impressive that Fraction and Larroca stayed on for the entire series so far, keeping the quality top notch. Larroca’s art has been a particular pleasure. If only they hadn’t resorted to the old numbering somewhere along the line, then I’d remember how many issues these two actually produced.

With the Mandarin’s plan of world destruction defeated, Tony Stark is left to pick up the pieces and reassess his life. The new Marvel NOW! Iron Man series is set to begin next month, so Fraction spends his time tying off a few loose ends and moving Tony into position for the new series. So basically this issue jumps around to various plots so Tony Stark can work his magic, and Fraction can leave things relatively clean. His new company, Stark Resilient, is off and running on its own. Pepper Potts’ time as Rescue and Rhody’s time as the new Iron Man are both at an end. Ezekial Stane is disappeared into the ether, and the Hammer family is out of power. All good story points, all good wrap ups. There’s also a funny scene where Pepper confronts Tony in the bath, while Tony’s date holds her breath underwater. Good times. In the end, Iron Man gears up in a few set of armor and takes off for space to join the Guardians of the Galaxy for awhile.

Comic rating: 4/5: Good.

Like I said above, I’ve greatly enjoyed Fraction’s run on this character. His Tony Stark had a lot in common with movie Tony, but not so much that it was distracting. And Larroca’s art has always been fantastic, drawing a really good Stark, and some great Iron Man armors. I’m a little saddened at how new writers rarely keep the previous writer’s story going, but such is the comics industry these days. This issue didn’t have anything too remarkable happen, but it tied things up nicely, with a look at Tony Stark. Though on a personal note, I wanted to see what became of Blizzard, Whirlwind and the Living Laser after they helped Iron Man defeat the Mandarin. But that’s just me. I love it when reasonable villains take it upon themselves to turn hero when larger issues are at stake.

Fraction and Larroca had a good run, and I’m glad I was there for it. Though I doubt I’ll be picking up the new Iron Man series. The whim is gone.

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Talon #1

Talon #1
Writer: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Artist: Guillem March

Speaking of whims, I picked up Talon #0 last month and enjoyed it enough to get #1 this week. I enjoyed Scott Snyder’s Court of Owls story over in Batman, so I thought I’d give this spin-off a try. I was not disappointed. Talon is about Calvin Rose, a former assassin for the Court who escaped the brainwashing and went on the run as his own man. He seems like a cool enough guy, and the master escape artist thing is always a cool quirk. So I picked up this follow-up issue to see what happens next, but I wasn’t as impressed.

After Batman and his allies defeated the Court of Owls, Calvin has returned to Gotham City to see if it’s true. If the Court is truly gone, then he can stop running. But Calvin quickly learns that the Court isn’t dead, it’s merely injured, and now it’s healing. He defeats another Talon assassin, but is wounded in the process. He’s rescued by an old man named Sebastian, who also has a history of trying to stop the Court of Owls. Sebatian spends most of the issue with exposition, and explains that he wants to use his knowledge and equipment to help Calvin take down the remaining members of the Court of Owls. He also gives Calvin his costume.

Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.

I’m disappointed that this issue was mostly exposition, and not very entertaining exposition at that. Especially since all of this exposition about the Court of Owls was mostly created after the fact. Snyder and Tynion have gone on the record as saying the idea for Talon came long after Snyder wrote Court of Owls. DC Comics wanted some kind of spin-off, but Snyder wasn’t sure how…then his friend Tynion came along with the idea for Calvin Rose. So all of this exposition, and everything with Sebastian, is stuff that definitely feels tacked on to the overall Court of Owls story. But I guess that can’t be helped. At least Calvin Rose remains mostly cool as a protagonist, so maybe I’ll keep reading.

Though I couldn’t help but feel, as I read this issue, that all of this Sebastian stuff should have been saved for later. This felt like one of those movie or TV moments where the hero has finally found what he was looking for, and the curtain is pulled back on all the mysteries. This is just a personal feeling, but I think Snyder and Tynion should have waited to reveal all of this. Maybe have Sebastian be a player in the shadows that Calvin didn’t know he was looking for. Now he’s just going to be the typical old man mentor, like Calvin’s own personal Alfred. But we’ll see. I think I’ll give issue #2 a chance.

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Wolverine MAX #1

Wolverine MAX #1
Writer: Jason Starr
Artist: Roland Boschi & Connor Willumsen

Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis is one of the greatest comic book runs of all time. Ennis took Punisher out of the world of kid-friendly superheroics, and wrote a brutal, wonderful and often poignant tale of a man broken by war, with an emphasis on realism. And if any character is more deserving of a MAX series than Punisher, it’s Wolverine! So I decided to see what Marvel might do with a Wolverine who can swear, kill and have sex without any censorship. I’ve never heard of Jason Starr before, but maybe he’d work some magic. Turns out…not really. This issue barely takes advantage of the MAX imprint, instead telling a somewhat basic Wolverine story.

Thanks to his healing factor, Wolverine is the only survivor of a plane crash off the coast of Japan, but he’s lost his memory and has no idea who he is or what happened. He’s taken to a hospital, and becomes a celebrity for surviving, but Wolverine sneaks out of the hospital and finds a hotel room to try and make sense of everything – only to find out that the cops think he bombed the plane! Also, a series of crudely drawn flashbacks intercut the issue. They show a wild Wolverine getting into brutal fights, joining the Civil War, and basically living the typical Wovlerine life we know – minus the heroics and the X-Men. One flashback has him trying to find peace in meditation, only to be visited by Victor Creed, who is happy that he’s found someone else like him. The two fight, as they are wont to do.

Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.

Like I said, there’s nothing particularly new or interesting about this Wolverine story. He may not be with the X-Men, but there are a lot of solo Wolverine stories out there where he doesn’t wear his costume or fight crime. The flashbacks don’t reveal anything about him, and are hideously drawn. Even the arrival and fight with Victor Creed is just like any Wolverine vs. Sabretooth fight before it. The misadventures in Japan are no different from any other Wolverine adventure. Heck, it wouldn’t even really be all that surprising if he did blow up the plane. This is Wolverine MAX, after all, so maybe he had a reason. There’s no nudity, very little swearing and the most violence comes from Wolverine slashing a shark. And while it’s not a bad story, it just doesn’t live up to what I was hoping for.

Granted, not every MAX series is going to be Punisher by Ennis, but I would have liked something deeper and more meaningful.

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So what do you guys think of this new review style? It’s not going to replace my longer reviews, but this way I can talk about more comics and provide everyone more opportunity to share their opinions! I’m going to try to do one of these every Saturday, reviewing whatever comics I’ve picked up that week at my local comic book shop. If there are any comics you’d like me to start reviewing in these Hench-Sized reviews, let me know!