Category Archives: Comics
Review: Saga #21
Much like last issue, Saga #21 is still just strolling along in the current storyline. It makes sense in context. Saga is a real saga. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are telling a story that covers entire lives, if not generations. So of course there were periods in these characters’ lives when they weren’t having exciting adventures. That’s how it is for most people. Just look at my Saturday nights for the past few years. Vaughn has created such a wonderful cast, that I would enjoy an issue of these characters eating breakfast. But sometimes that slowness is a little too mellow.
Saga #21
I really hope Vaughn is going somewhere unexpected with these storylines, otherwise they’re going to end up being painfully slow. At least Hazel remains obnoxiously adorable.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
It’s hard to be hard on Saga. The series as a whole remains strong, and I’m confident Vaughn has all manner of great storytelling in store for us. But the past few issues have been a bit of a lull…unless, of course, they’re leading somewhere amazing. That’s the great thing about Saga: I have no idea what to expect! So whether it’s Marko’s impending infidelity or Alana’s drug use, I can’t bring myself to assume that the obvious is going to happen. It feels like the obvious is going to happen, but I don’t know, and that’s why these scenes are both boring and fascinating.
On a different level, the story of the Robot Kingdom continues in this issue, and I have absolutely no idea where it’s going. The evil janitor still has Prince Robot IV’s kid in tow, and in this issue, the Prince himself gets involved. But we know so little about the Robot Kingdom and this evil janitor’s motivations that who knows what to expect? That is good storytelling, if slightly marred by the fact that we know so little about the Robot Kingdom. I’m not personally invested in them very much. And I definitely don’t know what to think yet about this evil janitor.
I can only hope the evil janitor plans to bring Prince’s kid and Hazel together to be the best of friends!
Join me after the jump or a full synopsis and more review!
The 6 Characters on My Justice League
Welcome to Comic-Con week! I’m not in San Diego, so I don’t get to join in on all the festivities. But the great thing about the Internet is that I can talk up a comic book storm and still feel like I’m part of the fun. One of these days I’ll get to go to San Diego Comic-Con. Maybe when I’m rich.
To celebrate the craziest comic book week of the year, I’ve decided to mirror what I did last year and put together my dream team of a superhero roster. Last year it was the Avengers, this year it’s the Justice League!
United!
And I’m talking a New 52 continuity Justice League.
Personally, I like the idea that the Justice League is made up of the top superheroes at DC Comics. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest are a solid lineup that holds a lot of weight in the hearts and minds of the fans. But how boring would it be if my list was just the same old seven heroes? So I’ve decided to get a little creative.
If DC Comics hired me to write the Justice League comic, and gave me cart blanche to include whoever I wanted in the roster, these would be the 6 characters on my team. I would love to hear your own dream team lineup in the comments!
Supergirl and Batgirl Are Still Adorbs
The Internet is still going ga-ga over Batgirl’s new redesign, so we should have expected adorable artist-extraordinaire, Mike Maihack to have his say. And, of course, it’s great.
I even like his dig at New 52 Harley Quinn!
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UN-Forgotten Characters: Excavator
Hey guys, Excavator’s back!
About two years ago now, I started up a special feature on my blog called Forgotten Characters. Basically, I tend to fall in love with some of the most obscure, small time comic book characters you’ve ever seen. Maybe they only show up for a single issue or a single storyline, but for whatever reason, they tickle my fancy. In the hopes that maybe other people like them as well, I give them a little write up to let the world know I haven’t forgotten.
The first Forgotten Character on my list was Excavator, the teenage, shovel-wielding member of the Wrecking Crew. He was created as a one-off joke character in the pages of Runaways way back in 2005. Excavator served his purpose and we never heard from him again, no matter how much I really liked him.
Until now.
Turns out, Excavator has been brought back in all his shovelly glory in the pages of Avengers Undercover! How cool is that?!
Pretty darn cool
Join me after the jump for all the details!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/19/14
I have a feeling that the closer we get to the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the more prevalent the GotG cameos will be in Marvel comics. We’ve got at least two this week – that I read – and both are painfully obvious. It’s like Marvel is working overtime to erase all of the goodwill built up by all those amazing movie trailers.
I am going to be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy on opening night. But you better believe I’m not about to pay for one of their comics.
Fortunately, we’ve got a pretty good pile of books this week. New issues of Uncanny X-Men and She-Hulk were pretty darn great. If you’re a supporter of Cyclops, like me, things are going to get pretty awesome pretty fast. We also kick off the return of Robin at DC Comics, but for some reason, I’m pretty much subdued as far as that goes. And we’ve still got comics like Original Sin and Batwoman to stink up the joint. But we rebound with another (inter)stellar issue of Silver Surfer, which wins Comic Book of the Week for an adorable trip to Cape Cod.
But if I’m being completely honest, and more than a little shocked, Batman Eternal wins moment of the week for this hilarious bit. Batwing and the Spectre have just entered the haunted, overrun Arkham Asylum.
That is the smartest thing Batman Eternal has written so far.
Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #15, Batwoman #33, Original Sin #6, Robin Rises: Omega #1, She-Hulk #6, Silver Surfer #4, and Uncanny X-Men #23.
You can also eventually check out my larger review of Ms. Marvel #6 over at Word of the Nerd.
Henchman-4-Hire 