Category Archives: Comics
Ladies and Gentlemen, Howard the Duck
Fresh off his laughter-inducing cameo at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy, Howard the Duck is going to get a new ongoing series at Marvel in March! It’ll be written by Chip Zdarsky, who is absolutely hilarious on Sex Criminals at Image, and drawn by Joe Quinones. Based on the preview art so far, I already love the look and feel!
Hey, that duck is wearing a hat…
Zdarsky and Quinones were interviewed by Entertainment Weekly about the comic, and it sounds pretty neat. Zdarsky’s a big comedy go, so it’s going to be something of a comedy book about an angry, exasperated Howard working as a private eye in a New York City filled with superheroes.
Said Zdarsky about the series:
He’s an everyman who happens to be a duck! He’s angry, exasperated, and he’s had it up to here with the world around him, but he’s trapped here! Infinitely relatable! I love the contrast of Howard against both the normal world of us hairless apes and the weird worlds of Man-Things and Dr. Stranges and Spider-Mans. Cause he doesn’t fit into either, really. I’m just going to continue exploring those contrasts, but my ultimate goal is to make it funny. Marvel has taken chances on funny books and injecting humor into superhero titles, so I want to make sure this is worth some chuckles here and there. God, I’m picturing the reviews now: “Some chuckles here and there.” Shoot for the stars, Chip!
Sounds like a pretty solid take on a Howard the Duck comic to me!
The year of the duck
Let the build up to a new Howard the Duck movie begin…
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Review: Teen Titans #4
In a previous decade, the content of Teen Titans #4 would have made me ecstatic. It’s an issue about Tim Drake using his brains and his skills to defeat an infinitely more powerful foe. It should be a testament to just how damn cool Robin can be. But this is Teen Titans in the New 52, so don’t anybody get their hopes up.
What Teen Titans #4 is instead is a showcase for writer Will Pfeifer’s S.T.A.R. Labs plot and his apparent love of Manchester Black. So simmer down, Tim Drake fans; despite his starring role in the issue, he has zero personal impact on the story.
Comic Rating: 5/10 – Alright.
Is it really so hard to write a comic that’s actually about the Teen Titans? I’m not sure if the previous writer, Scott Lobdell, ever managed to do it in 30+ issues. Lobdell only ever wrote about his plots or the bad guys; rarely did his stories ever actually grow from the Titans themselves. Even when he wrote about the characters’ origins, it was never about them. Wonder Girl’s origin story was all about her ex-boyfriend the super-villain, and Kid Flash’s origin story was all about this big space civil war and his role in that.
Pfeifer is a little better, but he’s relegated all of the stories about the Titans themselves to merely sub-plots. The main plot, the one about the villainous Algorithm and her attacks on S.T.A.R., is all about Algorithm and her villainous boss, Manchester Black. Teen Titans #4, especially, is all about Black and his drama. Tim Drake just happens to be caught up in that drama. But for all Tim actually does to drive or impact Black’s story, he could be swapped for any other Titan or any other superhero, for that matter.
And Teen Titans #4 also features one of the most baffling endings I have ever read in this comic. The only reasonable explanation for this ending is that Pfeifer is just toying with us and it’s totally fake. Otherwise, Teen Titans is just never going to get any better.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!
6 Other Marvel Characters Who Could Go ‘Superior’
Marvle Comics loves adjectives! The Amazing Spider-Man! The Uncanny X-Men! The Incredible Hulk! The Invincible Iron Man! You don’t see DC giving Batman or Superman adjectives. It’s almost a Marvel Comics exclusive! And in recent years, they’ve started mixing and matching the adjectives to make new comics! The Uncanny Avengers, The Amazing X-Men, etc., etc. It’s like a game of musical chairs!
Well this week we’re talking about Marvel’s newest, most dastardly adjective: Superior! When a comic is given the ‘Superior’ moniker – like last year’s Superior Spider-Man or the new Superior Iron Man – it means the hero and the villain are about to switch places!
To the tune of $1 billion+
Heroes becoming bad guys, and vice versa, is a long-standing comic book tradition, but Marvel has found a way to glam it up and get some extra mileage out of the idea. I’m all in favor of this push, especially if they do it well. Writer Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man was an amazing comic book, and Superior Iron Man has a cool new armor, so that’s something. But Marvel isn’t the sort of company that lets go of a good idea. I can imagine all sorts of Superior comics in the future – and here are six!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/15/14
You know what I love on vacation? A big stack of great comics! And this week delivered with flying colors! The Internet loves the new issue of Batman, though I’m not as big of a fan. But who needs Batman when we’ve got She-Hulk, Thor and Captain Marvel? All three deliver solidly fun comics starring women, and that’s as much fun as it sounds. But what am I getting at, you ask? Where am I going with this?
Well, what happens when you mix Batman, flying colors and female protagonists?
Comic Book of the Week goes to Batgirl #36. It’s only the second issue of this new relaunch, and already I’m beyond loving this series. It’s just so, so good!
Also, feel free to check out my review of All-New Captain America #1 over at Word of the Nerd. I think Falcon is going to make a pretty good Cap.
Comic Reviews: Batgirl #36, Batman #36, Batman Eternal #32, Captain Marvel #9, She-Hulk #10, Superior Iron Man #1 and Thor #2.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/8/14
Welcome to my vacation, hencharinos! I get two weeks off a year, and right now I’m at the start of my second, luxuriating at home with zero responsibilities and 100 relaxation points. It’s great! I’m going to kick up my feet, read some good comics, play some video games and hopefully see Big Hero Six before too long. I hear it’s great!
Comics were a little light this week for some reason, and very DC heavy. We’ve got new issues of Gotham Academy and Axis, the latter of which is getting a little better. And Grayson is great and wins Comic Book of the Week!
Dick Grayson: Comics’ Mancake
You can also check out my review of Amazing Spider-Man #9 over at Word of the Nerd. It’s an excellent start to Spider-Verse proper, and I’m really looking forward to that story now.
Comic Reviews: Axis #4, Batman Eternal #31, Gotham Academy #2, and Grayson #4.
Henchman-4-Hire