Category Archives: Comics
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 6/27/15
It’s another solid week for DC Comics! After the mess of Convergence, they have come out smelling like roses with new comics, new directions and a new sense of fun. I only hope Marvel has the same kind of response to Secret Wars, though Marvel was doing fine before they started their summer-long crossover.
This week sees new issues of Aquaman, Batgirl and Grayson, and the debut of We Are Robin, the comic I was most looking forward to with DC’s new rebranding. Does it live up to the hype? Mostly. It’s a relatively sparse first issue, but it starts laying some important groundwork.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Batgirl #41. No big changes here, just more Batgirl goodness.
Go with him if you want to live
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #41, Batgirl #41, Grayson #9, Ninjak #4 and We Are Robin #1.
Captain Marvel, A-Force, and the Totally Awesome Hulk are Just a Few More New Marvel Comics
Marvel keeps rolling out their new comics at a near snail’s pace, and seeing as how I’m a busy, important man with a busy, important job, I haven’t been able to jump on every announcement. Or maybe I’m just lazy. One of those two.
Anyway, it’s Friday, and I’ve decided to do a quick summation of a few more of the announced comics! Most of them look pretty great so far. I’m getting a little worried for my wallet.
A-Force
Writer G. Willow Wilson is going to return to the Marvel Universe with her all-female Avengers team following Secret Wars. She’s a great writer, and the first issue of A-Force was full of character and energy. But the context of Battleworld hampered the execution, something that I hope a transplant to the regular Marvel Universe will fix. Based on Wilson alone, this is a must-see sort of book. Not much else is known, though.
Avengers
The Avengers are the flagship of Marvel these days, so of course they’re back, and under the pen of the extraordinary Mark Waid. He is a legend in the industry, deservedly so, and I bet he has a lot of great ideas for the Avengers. Marvel is once again doubling down on their popular characters with this series, putting Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Spider-Man on the team — just not the ones we’d expect. Tony Stark is still around, but Cap is still Sam Wilson, Thor is still Jane Foster, and Spider-Man is now Miles Morales for good. I’m a little iffy on how well Miles is going to fit in the Marvel Universe, and I think it’s way too soon for Kamala Khan to join the Avengers, but I’m going to try to have a little faith on this one.
Captain Marvel
I’m sad that Kelly Sue DeConnick is leaving the title she turned into a smash hit, but I have to have hope that Carol has staying power of her own. The writers of the Agent Carter TV show, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, are taking over, and I’m excited to see what they bring. Apparently the story is going to be about Carol running a planetary defense force, which is kind of a big deal. Hopefully Butters and Fazekas can bring solid character work to Carol’s outer space adventures, which I never felt DeConnick managed to do.
Totally Awesome Hulk
They’re keeping the identity of the new Hulk a secret for now, but Bleeding Cool is convinced that it’s going to be Amadeus Cho. And considering that tuft of hair, the youthful title and the return of writer Greg Pak, I’m going to have to agree with them. Should be a fun change up to the Hulk, and Pak will probably have the right amount of fun with the series. With a name like that, I should darn well hope so.
Squadron Supreme
I didn’t care for their Secret Wars tie-in, and I’m not sure if I’ll bother with Squadron Supreme. I’ve never cared about the characters, and Marvel’s decision to mix and match different Squadron characters from across the Multiverse does not have me interested either. Still, more power to everyone involved.
Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen is getting a new #1 issue, just to fit alongside the rest of the line. It’s not changing anything from its brief beginning pre-Secret Wars, which is fine. I keep meaning to get caught up with Spider-Gwen, but I haven’t found the time. It seems like it’ll be fun. Maybe now I should read all those back issues I have piling up and get on board for the new #1.
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Review: Teen Titans #9
After a long break thanks to Convergence, we’re finally back to regular coverage of Teen Titans. And unfortunately, that old adage of ‘good things come to those who wait’ bears little to no meaning on this poor comic book. Unlike the rest of DC Comics’ line in June, Teen Titans is not getting a makeover or a new creative team. We’re jumping right back in to where we left off with the stuffy writing of Will Pfeifer and the uncomfortable art of Kenneth Rocafort. You’re all better off reading We Are Robin. I’ve got a feeling that’s going to star far more interesting teenagers.
Teen Titans #9
Teen Titans #9 is just an uncomfortable, unwelcoming comic book. It’s not bad, I suppose, but it’s not somewhere I want to be.
Comic Review: 5/10 – Alright.
Teen Titans was just kicking off a brand new storyline when Convergence came along and slammed on the brakes. Superboy has returned, and he’s wanted for killing a bunch of people in suburbia. But those people were really Durlans, the shapeshifting aliens of DC, and he probably didn’t kill them after all. Red Robin and several Titans have gone into hiding to help Superboy uncover the truth, while Wonder Girl and the new Power Girl have joined STAR Labs in hunting down the Boy of Steel. Manchester Black, Pfeifer’s favorite character, has even given the Girls a new team of Titans to help them out — a team that somehow includes a returned Kid Flash.
There’s just something uninviting about Teen Titans #9. The art is all sharp angles, slender characters and muted colors. It’s Rocafort’s usual style, but I think I’m zeroing in on what I don’t like about him on Teen Titans. The pages feel cramped and glum. The characters are never having any fun. The story itself is alright, I suppose. The characters are all largely on point. But Pfeifer never really makes this story about the characters, it’s always about his plot. Here we’ve got a perfect opportunity to follow the Titans on the run or meet the new STAR Labs Titans, but we don’t really do either. Pfeifer writes a nice scene with Beast Boy and Bunker, but those are the only characters who seem to ever get any personality.
We don’t spend any real time with Superboy, despite the weight of the world being on his shoulders. And we spend even less time with the new Titans, including Kid Flash — who is a returned Bart Allen, for reasons that are never explained! It’s just tossed off that this is Bart, back from both time and space, and randomly back to being Kid Flash for STAR freakin’ Labs!
Join me after the jump for a fully synopsis and more review!
Marvel Starts Rolling Out Their New Comics!
Secret Wars is going to come to an end eventually, and then Marvel Comics will have a whole new, refreshed universe to play with! We don’t yet know all the details — though we’ve seen hints — but because of early solicitations, Marvel has started letting us know what our comics books will be like this fall.
We already know about the new Invincible Iron Man. Over the weekend, we heard that Brian Michael Bendis and Sarah Pichelli are going to write Miles Morales in adjectiveless Spider-Man. And Kelly Sue DeConnick is leaving Captain Marvel.
Today we found out that Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo are going to launch a new Doctor Strange comic!
Thank god he’s bringing along that battle ax!
No big surprise there, considering the Doctor Strange movie coming up. It was only a matter of time before Marvel gave the good doctor his own book. And I’m beyond excited that Jason Aaron has the job. He’s one of my favorite writers at Marvel! His Thor comics have been amazing, so I’m confident he can really handle Doctor Strange.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Aaron said:
We wanted a Doctor Strange who was always having to work for what he gets, and to show that when he shows up and uses his powers, it’s not like Captain America throwing his shield or Thor throwing his hammer. Strange has to worry about repercussions that those other heroes don’t have to worry about, because he’s a Sorcerer Supreme. We’re talking about the forces of magic. So whatever he does has repressions.
Sounds like a neat take on Doctor Strange. I only hope Bachalo’s art does’t get so weird that we can’t make anything out. These preview pics look great, but we all know that Bachalo can get pretty wild.
Looking stylish!
Still, consider me on board this fall!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 6/20/15
Sometimes I just can’t help myself. There are weeks when I tell myself to keep the Hench-Sized reviews under control, that you fine readers can’t handle me rambling for so long and so intensely! But this week was filled with great comics! DC continues to pump out some fun titles with their rebranding, and a few of my favorite indie comics were in my stack. This was a good week.
Comic Book of the Week was a hard one, but I think I’m going to give it to Justice League of America #1. The new series is written and drawn by Bryan Hitch, and is a great example of DC’s new style. Bucking the constraints of up-to-the-minute continuity, the new Justice League is just a straight forward, fun adventure by my favorite comic book artist. It’s a good launch.
Everybody loves diplomatic sessions
Unfortunately, Marvel Comics remains mired in Secret Wars. Even the great Ms. Marvel is now tied into that event. I skipped that new issue this week before it’s basically just Kamala Khan running around trying to be a hero while the world falls apart. The next issue is the one to watch out for, when she finally teams up with Captain Marvel!
Speaking of Secret Wars, I took a look at Squadron Sinister #1 at Word of the Nerd. It’s pretty much a dud.
Comic Reviews: Black Canary #1, Justice League of America #1, Kaijumax #3, Lumberjanes #15, Prez #1, Robin: Son of Batman #1 and Secret Six #3.
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