Category Archives: Comics
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/12/14
Do any of you lovely readers know the best way to treat a sprained muscle? I pulled something in my calf and I’ve been limping around all week because I’m an idiot. And I don’t trust doctors, what with their voodoo and medical degrees. So anyone with a magical, non-voodoo cure is welcome here!
Fortunately, I don’t need my leg to read comics! We’ve got a somewhat light week this week, mostly because a lot of books I’ve already given up on were out this week, like Nightcrawler, Fantastic Four and Justice League United. Fortunately, we’ve got All-New X-Men, Captain Marvel and Batman Eternal to keep us company.
Not to mention the first issues of the New Suicide Squad and Grayson, which wins Comic Book of the Week for actually being pretty good (and because I couldn’t get my hands on the new Lumberjanes). Despite all the setbacks he’s faced, Dick Grayson at least keeps getting good, solid writers behind him in the New 52.
I guess now we know why Nightwing was blonde at Batsgiving
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #29, Batman Eternal #14, Captain Marvel #5, Grayson #1 and New Suicide Squad #1.
You can also check out my review of Spider-Man 2099 #1 at Word of the Nerd!
Does Batgirl’s New Look Signify a New Direction for DC?
Now this is a legitimate surprise, and one I find myself welcoming with open arms. DC Comics has revealed a new creative team on Batgirl for this fall, and with it, I think they’re signaling a new direction for their entire company. At least I hope that’s the case. Forgive me for getting a little hyperbolic over here, but I like what I see and I see what I like.
Look at this picture, from artists Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr, and tell me it isn’t Batgirl channeling Ms. Marvel or Lumberjanes.
Hipsters are still popular, right?
I don’t know how things look from where you’re sitting, but for me, we’re in the middle of a comic book revolution. Cute, quirky, artistic and personable comics are my favorites, these days, and Marvel is leading the charge. Hawkeye, Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, FF and, especially, Ms. Marvel are the comics on everyone’s lips. They’re new and interesting, with a focus on both style and substance. These are comics that push the medium towards a true art form. Or at the very least, a great entertainment. In my curmudgeony old age, I find myself flocking towards these types of comics, ones that focus on the people first and the superheroes second, ones that love art and revel in how unique comic book art can be. There is also a stronger focus on women, both as characters and as creators.
Basically, everything Marvel and most Indie comics are doing these days.
But not DC.
Since the start of the New 52, DC has been glued to their House Style for the past three years. Comics Alliance goes into detail here, but basically, DC has strictly followed the designs and style of artists like Jim Lee and David Finch when making all of their comics. Whether it was Superman, Batman, Blue Beetle or Hawk & Dove, DC has only cared about creating grim, gritty, detailed and action-filled comics.
But who is talking about DC Comics these days? Aside from praising maybe Scott Snyder’s Batman or Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman, who out there has any kind words for DC? Nobody. There’s nothing but derision, for the most part. Whereas Marvel books are the talk of the town.
Well now it looks to me like DC is finally going to reach outside the box and try something new.
I love this costume design
According to Mtv’s interview with the books creators, including writer Brenden Fletcher, Barbara Gordon is going to move to Burnside, the hipster borough of Gotham City, where she will immerse herself in youth culture. She’s going to build that new costume out of materials from vintage clothing stores. Barbara Gordon is going to become hip. She’s going to take selfies and probably drink coffee.
I’m not knocking these facts, I think they sound great. I love Gail Simone as much as the next person, but she was writing to the House Style Batgirl. That’s on DC, not on her. She even said so on Twitter that she was told to keep her Batgirl grim and gritty.
I never read Gail Simone’s Batgirl series because I just couldn’t bring myself to care, for some reason. I’ve never cared very much about Batgirl, and I loved Secret Six a bit too much to forgive DC when they launched the New 52. The point is, I am definitely going to give this new Batgirl direction a try in October.
Very cute pop!
I don’t know if DC can pull it off. I don’t know if their heads are in the right place or if they’re just playing copycat. But between Batgirl and Gotham Academy, I really think they may have finally caught on to the way the winds are blowing. Perhaps there is hope for them yet.
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So Many New Comics!
Apparently the time has come for Marvel and DC to start announcing new comics for the Fall. DC has a slew of new titles, while Marvel is relaunching Captain America yet again – but this time with a pretty big twist!
In All-New Captain America #1, Rick Remender will be writing about a new hero taking over Captain America’s mantle. Apparently in the latest Cap stories, the Super Soldier Serum has been pulled out of him, leaving Cap as a 90-year-old man stuck in a hospital bed. He’ s still as sharp as ever, and determined to be a leader, but it’s time for someone new to take on the mantle.
Let it be Cyclops!
Remender had this to say about Cap:
“He’s a man in his 90s now without the frame or physical strength, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of the fight. He’s basically orchestrating things and playing tactician, fighting against Zola, using his friends in the Avengers to try and do so. He’s waging a war from a room rather than the front lines, which is new for Steve. There might be some shuffle boarding in his future. I do like the idea of giving Steve a bit of a break once the new Cap steps up and takes the mantle for a while. Steve’s going to continue to play a role in the series as mentor and tactician and eye in the sky, running ops and things. He’s got all of his faculties and is still the super soldier he earned the right to be called; he just lacks the physical form.”
Obviously Steve Rogers will return to the role of Captain America before too long. Probably in time for the Avengers next year, or his next movie. Hopefully Remender will get an awesome story out of the change, like Ed Brubaker did when he had Bucky take over as Captain America for awhile, or when Dan Slott wrote about Doctor Octopus taking over as Spider-Man. Both were great comics.
I haven’t been reading the series, so I don’t know who’s in the running to be the replacement, but Bleeding Cool has a pretty good idea. Don’t click if you don’t want to be spoiled…though it’ll probably be spoiled on the Internet at large before too long.
Bleeding cool also seems convinced that a Spider-Woman and an Ant-Man comic are on the way. The latter one is guaranteed, considering the movie. And if it really is drawn by Chris Samnee, then count me in thricefold!
Meanwhile, DC Comics is doubling down on titles that will surely be cancelled within the year. First there was Arkham Manor and Gotham Academy announced a few weeks ago, which I foolishly forgot to write about. The latter of the two might actually be pretty neat, considering Becky Cloonan is writing. I’m pretty sure she’s awesome.
Then DC announced yesterday a new series called Trinity of Sin starring Pandora, Phantom Stranger and the Question.
She’s missing her fedora
I have no idea what would possibly compel DC to publish this comic. For some reason, they still seem to think that anybody cares about Pandora. I don’t think anybody has ever cared about Pandora. And it didn’t help when the big reveal of Pandora’s Box and the Trinity War turned out to be nothing but a prologue to Forever Evil. The big secret behind the New 52 was nothing but a prologue!
Is anybody reading the Pandora or Phantom Stranger comics? Not that every comic needs to be about Batman, but these characters are just so boring! And I can’t imagine DC doing anything interesting with their new cosmic version of the Question. That may be my least favorite New 52 character revamp.
There’s an interview with writer J.M. DeMatteis at that link. I can’t bring myself to care enough to search through it for a good quote. Nothing against the guy, I know he’s a great writer, but I can’t imagine there’s one iota of interest in this comic from the reader community.
The other DC trainwreck is going to be Lobo, by Cullen Bunn, starring that new Lobo DC created that everybody either hates or forgot existed.
A gun and a sword? He must be cool!
Remember him? I do, barely. What I remember most is that everybody hated the design. And when I read his comic, I was completely underwhelmed. And that was, what, a year ago? Why didn’t they give Lobo a comic back then? Why wait all this time? Were they specifically waiting for everyone to lose interest in a character they never liked in the first place?
Is my bias showing through? I’m excited for what Marvel has to offer, and I’m pretty sure DC are still just throwing crap at the wall and hoping something sticks.
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/5/14
Happy Day after Independence Day! Did everybody watch the movie, Independence Day, like I do every year? Or should do every year…I need some Fourth of July traditions. I need to be more patriotic. And there’s nothing more patriotic than reading comics! Especially Captain America comics…which I didn’t do this week. Man, I’m bad at this.
Anyway, I mostly read Marvel comics this week, because DC didn’t have much of anything to tickle my fancy. We’ve still got new Batman Eternal, because I’m still subjecting myself to that series. But we’ve also got new issues of X-Factor, Magneto, Moon Knight, Original Sin and the first issue of Legendary Star-Lord. If you’re wondering why they added the word ‘Legendary’, well, it’s kind of obvious once you read the comic, but not for the reason Marvel probably wants.
Thor: God of Thunder #24 wins Comic Book of the Week for another one of those quieter, talking heads issues that Jason Aaron does so well with this series. I tell ya, Thor has never felt so grand and yet so personable.
Needs more Beta Ray Bill.
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Factor #10, Batman Eternal #13, Legendary Star-Lord #1, Magneto #6, Moon Knight #5, Original Sin #5 and Thor: God of Thunder #24.
Review: Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Now things are starting to heat up! Last issue was definitely build-up, with Miles preparing to tell his girlfriend the big news, and bad guys moving around the background. Well in the new issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, Brian Michael Bendis shifts into a higher gear, setting up what will no doubt be an exciting climax! The new Spider-Man vs. the Green Goblin! Katie Bishop panicking! Ganke proven right?! The tension ratchets up in a big way this issue, from a threat that’s actually born from the Spider-Man universe. Not since Prowler or Venom has a battle felt so important in this comic.
Ultimate Spider-Man #3
But the best is yet to come! Bendis starts toppling over some of his dominoes in this issue, and we’ve still got more story to go!
Comic Rating: 9/10 – Great.
The stakes just feel more real in this issue than they have in awhile. Every time Bendis is forced to add Miles to some big Ultimate Universe crossover, the stories lose that important tension. Who really cares about Miles getting thrown into a big Ultimates battle against Hydra? Or Miles swinging around helping people while Galactus threatens the world? Miles, and Spider-Man, are best left as street-level heroes. I’ve always said it, and I’ll continue to say it. Seeing Miles struggle to tell his girlfriend that he’s Spider-Man, or panicking in the face of the Green Goblin, is a great Spider-Man comic.
Miles Morales is a fun character. He may not be as iconic as Peter Parker, there’s no way he could be. But Bendis is doing a great job with Miles. He’s grounded, he’s human, and he’s driven to be a hero. He’s got a lot to learn ahead of him, and the story of that discovery makes for great comics.
Though once again, rumors of the Ultimate Universe’s destruction are on the wind. Apparently Miles is going to crossover with All-New X-Men in a few months? And something big and interdimensional appears to be on the horizon for next Spring. Bendis even drops a clue/tease in this issue, if you can believe them. I don’t know what to think. I still don’t want Miles to be shuffled off to the regular Marvel Universe. But, obviously, that decision is out of my hands.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
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