Category Archives: Comics
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/6/16
This might be the weirdest comic review article of my long blogging career. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the latest issue of Batgirl really hits home for me in a lot of weird ways. Especially when you consider it features a villain who can read and alter minds…but you’ll have to read on to find out what I mean!
Beyond the new Batgirl, this was a solid, enjoyable week of comics. We got new Iron Man and Captain Marvel comics, as well as Miles Morales’ debut in the regular Marvel Universe! I was against this idea from the beginning, but the execution isn’t half bad.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Doctor Strange #5. Writer Jason Aaron is hitting it out of the park with this opening storyline! I hope the Doctor Strange movie is even half this cool.
Atlantean Black Magic!
I’m sure Benedict Cumberbatch can pull this off.
Comic Reviews: Batgirl #48, Captain Marvel #2, Deadpool & The Mercs for Money #1, Doctor Strange #5, Invincible Iron Man #6 and Spider-Man #1.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/30/16
We’re still tepidly awaiting the reveal of the new DC Rebirth here in Comic Book Land. Will it be a complete reboot like the New 52? Or just a relaunch like Marvel’s Post-Secret Wars plans? Your guess is as good as mine! I’m just gonna keep reading and enjoying myself.
One comic that I know will never let you down is my own, Gamer Girl & Vixen! We’re gearing up for another Kickstarter soon, so if you missed out on getting the comic the first time, we’re going to go bigger and better soon! I’ll try not to talk your ears off too much about it.
Until then, let’s enjoy new issues of the Avengers, Spider-Woman, We Are Robin and more! This week finally saw the release of Faith #1 from Valiant Comics, which I was excited about, but which didn’t live up to the hype. Fortunately, the new issue of Grayson steals the show with one of the best non-Squirrel Girl jokes I’ve read in awhile.
Wait for it…
Consider that Comic Book of the Week material!
Also, for anybody tuning in for my ongoing coverage of Saga, I decided not to review the new issue because not a whole lot happens. Brian Vaughn kind of just moved a few pieces around the board. Not a big deal.
Comic Reviews: All-New, All-Different Avengers #4, Angela: Queen of Hel #4, Faith #1, Grayson #16, Spider-Woman #3 and We Are Robin #8.
The Flintstones by Amanda Conner
DC Comics has announced a huge new wave of Hanna-Barbera comics coming out later this year. But unlike the regular, old licensed comics that I’m always surprised are still being sold, DC is reimagining these classic comics with new, potentially interesting twists. There’s Scooby Apocalypse, which is self explanatory, and Wacky Race Land, which looks like it’s going to put the Wacky Races into a Mad Max-style wasteland. Entertainment Weekly has all the details.
Honestly, these sound just insane enough to maybe be interesting. Mostly, though, I wanted to show off this awesome picture of the Flintstones by one of my favorite comic book artists, Amanda Conner.
It just looks so totally perfect
It’s just so…totally Conner. It’s gorgeous. I’m not about to read a comic about the Flintstones, but that picture was too great not to share.
This whole idea is kind of neat, but also kind of insane. Who buys Scooby Doo comics? I know that DC makes Scooby Doo comics, but who buys them? Are they the same type of people who will now buy a Scooby Doo reimagining set in the Apocalypse? Or is DC banking on some kind of super nostalgia to drive new readers to Scooby Doo comics?
I have no idea, but I applaud creativity nonetheless.
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Review: Teen Titans #16
When writer Will Pfeifer joined Teen Titans, DC Comics felt so strongly about it that they restarted the series with a new #1 issue. It was supposed to be a new beginning, but somehow, inexplicably, Pfeifer seemed to drown himself in the exact same problems that buried Scott Lobdell’s tenure on the book. Rather than breath new life into the series, Pfeifer simply continued all of the worse traits of the Teen Titans in the New 52. But it’s over now…maybe. New writer Greg Pak takes over with the next issue. Will he be cursed with the same problems? Or will Pak, who has been writing a very excellent Action Comics recently, somehow find a way to make this series good? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Teen Titans #16
As for Pfeifer’s final issue, apparently he got the memo that he needed to clean as much house as humanly possible. He cleans out Teen Titans so quickly that you’d think he’d thrown a party while his parents were on vacation, only to find out they were coming home early.
Comics Rating: 3/10 – Bad.
Based on the solicitations for upcoming issues, it looks like Pak is going to keep the team relatively the same, and try to find new stories with them. I’m fine with that. I like the lineup just fine. The characters have potential. It’s the stories and the premise that need to be worked on. It remains a marvel to me that DC has kept Teen Titans the way it is, despite all outside influences in comics these days. When books like the new Batgirl or Ms. Marvel are getting so much attention, when the DC animated shows focus so heavily on vastly different versions of the team, why then is the comic book Teen Titans still a team of random characters fighting random supervillains with little to no continuity or consistency?
Teen Titans Go! has better consistency and character development.
This final issue is no different. Once again, the Titans go up against completely random bad guys for an issue full of gratuitous fighting. Once again, this comic is just a bunch of action figures being smashed together. The writing is pretty wretched as well, with Pfeifer embodying the worst superhero comic traits when it comes to the characters explaining what they’re doing on the page. It’s like Chris Claremont’s worst X-Men habits. And on top of that, someone at DC told Pfeifer to clear the slate a bit for Pak, so he finds several quick and dirty ways to shuffle characters out of the book. And considering how he brought those characters in, this has to be painful for him as a creator.
Teen Titans #16 reads like DC told Pfeifer not to let the door hit him on the way out, but they didn’t really mean it.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/23/16
This was an exciting week for comics! We’ve got new issues of some of my favorites, like Astonishing Ant-Man and Ms. Marvel, as well as the excellent return of the new Patsy Walker series. Heck, even DC delivered, with another big Batman issue, and the first issue of the new Poison Ivy mini-series. This week was packed to the gills!
But two of the best issues were new #1s! I’m talking, of course, about the relaunched Captain Marvel and Silver Surfer comics! One has a new creative team and a new direction, while the other doubles down on what made the previous volume so good — which is exactly why the new Silver Surfer #1 wins Comic Book of the Week!
You’re live to the whole world!
But it’s good to have both series back! Marvel is finally shaking off all the Secret Wars malaise (even though I did enjoy Secret Wars).
Comic Reviews: Astonishing Ant-Man #4, Batman #48, Captain Marvel #1, Ms. Marvel #3, Poison Ivy #1, Patsy Walker a.k.a. Hellcat #2 and Silver Surfer #1.
Henchman-4-Hire