Category Archives: Comics
Review: Saga #12
It’s about time we checked in again with Prince Robot IV, and it’s a neat little issue that sees him facing off against famed author D. Oswald Heist. The emotional roller coaster of the last few issues has come to an end. And now the time has come for the overall story to move forward, and this makes for a nice little opening chapter. We finally meet Heist, who seems like a pretty cool dude. And Prince Robot IV continues to prove why he is the most villainous out of the main characters. Will he be the actual villain in the end? Maybe. It’s hard to tell at this point. I don’t think anybody is truly evil, but that just makes for a better story overall.
Saga #12
Saga has a lot of story to tell, and it’s hard to believe we’re only at issue #12. So much has happened so far, I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around what might come next. I’m just glad I’ll be along for the ride.
Also, Brian K. Vaughn hits us with another awesome final page cliffhanger.
Comic Rating: 4/5: Good!
The action and excitement of the past few issues is gone, replaced with what amounts to nothing more than an extended conversation between Heist and the Prince. Vaughn is a master of dialogue, and the conversation serves to reveal so much about each character. It’s also just generally entertaining. I can already tell that Heist is going to be a fun character. And Prince Robot takes a step towards diabolical, which only serves to make him a more interesting character too. There is also the promise that he is on the verge of finally confronting Marko and Alana, which should be a pretty big moment.
Fiona Staples’ art is once again simply fantastic. Her characters are clear and well drawn, their emotions obvious, and the weird nature of their bodies made believable. This issue is all about a conversation between a bearded Cyclops and a robot with a TV for a head, yet it comes off as perfectly normal. I love that about her art. Everybody just looks so believable and human, even when they’re walking, talking TV sets or giant mouse people, it’s all so nice and normal. And seriously, the last page of this issue is just badass.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 4/13/13
We’ve got some good and we’ve got some bad this week, sometimes down to the very franchise. I’ve already ranted a lot about my disappointment with Batman and Red Robin, so at least the regular Batman book is good enough. On the Marvel side of things, the Avengers have a mediocre to strong output, whether it’s Age of Ultron, Avengers or Uncanny Avengers. You might even be surprised to learn that some kind of plot finally develops in Age of Ultron! I didn’t see that coming!
But speaking of Avengers, the star this week is Thor, as his series, Thor: God of Thunder, easily hammer-smashes the competition to win Comic Book of the Week! I was disappointed last issue with the weak origin for Gorr. But when Jason Aaron focuses on his various Thors, the comic is gold! It’s also the funniest comic you’ll read all week. Perhaps even the sexiest.
Sounds like my kind of woman!
Comic Reviews: Age of Ultron #5, Avengers #9, Batman #19, Batman and Red Robin #19, Hawkeye #9, Thor: God of Thunder #7, Uncanny Avengers #6, Uncanny X-Men #4.
Watch Out, Tim Drake Fans! DC is Still a Den of Liars!
Do not buy this week’s issue of Batman and Red Robin #19! Well, I mean, you can buy it if you want to. But if you, like me, were looking for any examination of the Bruce/Tim dynamic in the New 52, you will be grossly disappointed. The two barely have anything to do with one another, and when they do interact, it’s just a circumstance of the plot.
This is almost as bad as when we were teased about Red Robin getting an issue of Night of the Owls. Seriously, if you were planning on buying this comic just for the Tim Drake appearance, save your money.
I guess you could buy it for Carrie Kelley, maybe
I’ll post some spoilers after the jump. Just know that this issue is not a team up between Bruce and Tim. DC Comics is a Den of Liars and Thieves!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 4/6/13
This week we explore the dichotomy of Brian Michael Bendis. He is one of the most popular comic book writers of our time, and has helped shaped the modern Marvel Universe in ways we can’t grasp now. He is a living legend in the comic book world. But sometimes he can be a really bad writer. I think I know now why Age of Ultron wasn’t given the hype or push of Civil War or Avengers vs. X-Men. It’s a terrible Big Event comic. If Age of Ultron really does rewrite any part of the Marvel Universe beyond just adding a Spawn character to the comics, I will be very disappointed. This may be Bendis’ worst Big Event comic.
But at the same time, Bendis has turned the X-Men franchise into one of the best comics being published today! His work on All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men is some of the best he’s ever written. Almost all of the characters involved are more dynamic than they’ve been in years, and the story itself is one for the history books. It just keeps getting better and better! All-New X-Men #10 easily wins Comic Book of the Week, and I eagerly await the next chapter next week.
Ptui!
Maybe Bendis just drinks a different kind of coffee on the days he’s writing X-Men vs. the days he’s writing Ultron.
Comic Reviews: Age of Ultron #4, All-New X-Men #10, Green Arrow #19, Green Lantern #19, Indestructible Hulk #6 and Superior Spider-Man #7.
Robin Watch: Carrie Kelley!?!
The ongoing search for the next Robin continues with a rather surprise arrival in next week’s new issue of Batman and Robin: Carrie Kelley!
What the what!?! For reals, people, DC and writer Peter Tomasi are bringing Carrie Kelley into modern day continuity. But whether or not she’s going to become the next Robin is still anyone’s guess. DC are definitely good at teasing that possibility, at least.
This is just a strange choice, in my opinion, but it seems like the kind of thing DC would pull off. DC loves mining their big, popular stories for little stuff they can bring into normal continuity. Prior to the reboot, and even a little bit in the reboot, DC was using stuff from Kingdom Come left and right. Heck, Tim Drake is still called Red Robin. Then there was that whole Before Watchmen thing. Now they’re going to pluck Carrie Kelley from the legendary The Dark Knight Returns and tease her as a possible new Robin.
According to Tomasi in an interview with the New York Post:
“She’s a college kid who’s got spunk and speaks her mind,” said writer Peter Tomasi. “This is not an alternate-earth Robin, this is simply a girl named Carrie Kelley, who we learn knew Damian, which in turn weaves her into the fabric of the DC Universe for the first time in 25 years. What you’ll find out once you crack the book, is that she’s not exactly the ‘new Robin,’ but I don’t want to spoil the story and her introduction into Bruce Wayne/Batman’s life. In regards to how long she’ll be around, let’s just say that it’s a helluva lot longer than ‘one issue.’ I’ve got plans for Carrie that play well into the future.”
If I’m being completely honest, and this is just my immediate gut reaction, I don’t like this idea. First of all, Carrie Kelley is going to debut in the issue that was supposed to be dedicated to Tim Drake reteaming with Bruce Wayne. The issue is going to be called Batman and Red Robin, after all. I was really looking forward to their first real interaction since the reboot. But I guess DC just doesn’t want anything to do with the classic Bruce/Tim team. What a shame.
Second of all, I’m a proponent of Harper Row as the new Robin for reasons I’ve gone on and on about on my blog. Harper Row is a new character with a new life, which is perfect for the New 52 universe. Carrie Kelley is just a weak attempt to steal some goodwill from The Dark Knight Returns. I understand that we’re dealing with some alternate realities here, and that this version of Carrie is a new version, but she’s still a character with some complicated backstory. My #1 rule for writing comics, movies or anything else is to Keep It Simple, Stupid. Are you really going to want to introduce Robin from now on as the alternate reality version of a different Robin from the future?
And who also dresses like Robin at parties.
I think this is all just one big tease. I think Tomasi has some ideas for what he might do with his version of Carrie Kelley, and he’s going to run with them. I don’t think for an instant that this is the definitive revelation of the new Robin. At least I hope not. I would probably have no problem in the long run with this new version of Carrie Kelley being the new Robin, but like I said, Harper Row represents a much cleaner, fresher sort of character. Harper Row the much better candidate.
Still, it looks like DC is going to keep the recruiting field wide open!
Henchman-4-Hire 