Category Archives: Comics
Review: Scarlet Spider #13
What a difference the art makes. Khoi Pham is still drawing Scarlet Spider, and either his talents have gone completely downhill, or the inker and colorist have done a terrible job, because the art in Scarlet Spider #13 is atrocious. Sketchy, awkward, off-model, it brings the whole issue down. This might actually be a good issue of Scarlet Spider, but the bad art is just so distracting. It doesn’t help either that the villains are generic werewolf people. And that Pham can’t draw werewolves to save his life.
Scarlet Spider #13
We’re finally getting answers about Aracely, but whatever impact those answers might have is completely lost due to horrendous art. I hope this is just a bump in the road. A switch to bad art is always a sign that a series is nearing its cancellation.
Comic rating: 2/5: Bad.
The mysteries of Aracely have never been that big of a deal to me. She’s definitely come into her own in this series, and was a standout in the last issue. But I haven’t particularly cared where she came from. Still, writer Christopher Yost was definitely going to get around to it eventually. And it seems like he’s tying it deeply into Mexican folklore and more. I’ve never particularly cared about Mexican folklore either, but maybe he can win me over. Yost definitely does a fine job detailing how Kaine uncomfortably fits into this scenario. I think it will be a fun adventure for our hero. He’s already an outsider in the normal world, now he’s even more so. That should be good for him.
But like I said, the art is terrible. And the villains could use a big boost to make them interesting. Right now, they’re just generic evil werewolf criminals. How boring. Here’s an idea: why not make them were-something else? Why is it always wolves? There’s a lot of talk in this issue about ‘coyotes’, which are what they call the people who transport Mexicans over the border for a fee. Why not make them werecoyotes? That would be interesting and cool!
Instead, all we get is mostly bland.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/12/13
This week’s reviews include possibly the worst comic I have reviewed to date. It’s deplorable, it’s terrible and it makes me fear for the quality of a new DC series soon to arrive. If Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1 is any indication of the quality of writer Keith Giffen’s upcoming Threshold series then count me out. I could not believe how terrible this Annual issue was. It lacks any redeeming qualities. It is the antithesis of entertainment.
So it’s a good thing Jason Aaron comes along to deliver the next issue of Thor: God of Thunder, which picks up another Comic Book of the Week win!
Typical Thor
But then, considering the character that Aaron brings back in this week’s Wolverine and the X-Men, I’m tempted to take away all of his previous awards. How could you do this to us, Aaron? What sick game are you playing at?
Comic Reviews: Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1, Thor: God of Thunder #4, Wolverine and the X-Men #23.
Review: Superior Spider-Man #1
I’m in. I take back almost all of the negative or indifferent comments I’ve made about Superior Spider-Man. Writer Dan Slott knocked the first issue of the new series out of the park, and I am completely on board with this big, insane plan of his. Because after reading this issue (and a few other hints around the Internet) it’s become clear that this is all one big scheme. This is a long story, and Marvel has just decided to gussy it up with a new name and a new #1 issue. Does Doctor Octopus taking over Peter Parker’s body warrant all this fanfare? I suppose. It would have probably still worked as Amazing Spider-Man #701, but that’s not how comic book marketing works these days.
Superior Spider-Man #1
If you really think Doc Ock is here to stay and that Peter Parker is never coming back, then I have a couple of homemade web-shooters to sell you. They really work too! But if you’re a Spider-Man fan and ready to put some real dedication into your comics, then Superior Spider-Man should be right up your alley.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
I’ve written before about my thoughts on this big status quo change, with the villainous Doctor Octopus taking over Peter Parker’s body (killing Peter in the process), and using it as a puppet to try and be a better Peter Parker and a superior Spider-Man. I never thought it was a bad idea, nor did I think it was in any way permanent. I just didn’t think I would be all that interested. It felt like Marvel and Slott were going to force us into a year of placeholder stories until they eventually got around to bringing Peter back to life. Placeholder stories that, I felt, turned all of Peter’s friends and loved ones into victims, hoodwinked by the sinister Doc Ock. Especially Mary Jane. I know some people don’t like Mary Jane Watson, but I’m a big fan, especially of her and Peter. And the idea of Doc Ock romancing and even sleeping with Mary Jane while using Peter’s body is downright creepy.
And if that’s the case, then I’m out. But after reading issue #1, I definitely approve of what Dan Slott is doing. It’s a very fun issue, with Doc Ock at his most pompous. He even dresses like Doctor Horrible! You really get a sense of the kind of fun Slott has in store for us. Couple that with a last page twist that I never saw coming and I am definitely excited to see where Slott goes from here.
Marvel has started teasing upcoming stories and ideas for Superior Spider-Man. And if what I think might happen is actually going to happen, then I do not want to miss Superior Spider-Man. First of all, Marvel released this teaser image this week, where it appears that the Superior Spider-Man is going to be fired from the Avengers. Second, blogger Graeme McMillan theorized at Newsarama that all of this is one big Spider-Man reboot. The ‘superior’ in the name is a misnomer, and Doc Ock is actually going to be a terrible Spider-Man. So terrible, in fact, that he drags Spider-Man’s good name through the mud. For the past few years, Spider-Man has been a big hero. He’s a proud member of the Avengers, he’s helped saved the world, he’s beloved by the NYPD…but that’s not the classic hard luck Spider-Man we all know and love.
Where’s the Spider-Man who can’t catch a break? Who’s hated by the people of New York even though he’s just trying to do good?
Dan Slott is bringing him back.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review, and learn the last page surprise!
My 6 Most Anticipated Comic Book Movies of 2013
Every year, it seems like more and more superhero movies are coming out. Can anyone even remember the cold, bitter years of the 90s, when we didn’t have this glorious glut of comic book films? Those were dark days indeed. But are we reaching some kind of superhero movie zenith? When are we going to reach the peak and then start coming down again? It’s going to happen someday, could it be 2013? Because there are enough superhero and comic book movies coming out this year that I was able to make a list! And can any of them even possibly live up to The Avengers or The Dark Knight trilogy?
Especially considering at least three of the films are almost direct sequels or pseudo-continuations?
Avengers vs. JLA? Maybe someday…
When researching this list, I didn’t even know or remember that half of these films are even coming out this year. I try to stay abreast of such developments, but there are so many superhero movies being made or expected to be made that I just lose track. I can still remember when we marked our calendars to expect the next big comic book movie. Now I’m just going to relax and let them come as they will. I mean, we’re pretty set for new films and sequels for the next two to three years at least. For good or ill. But this year looks like it might have more winners than losers.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #19
What a disappointing issue. Not that Ultimate Spider#19 is a bad book, it’s just that nothing happens. The big crossover is gone and we’re back to business at hand, but writer Brian Michael Bendis doesn’t do anything with this moment. Instead, we get a lot of teases of stuff that could be happening. This is the first part of a new Venom story, but the villain barely even appears until the final page. So really, this is just a dull comic promising us better stuff down the line.
Ultimate Spider-Man #19
Even the art of returning artist Sara Pichelli is lackluster, and actually bad in some places. She draws a weird J. Jonah Jameson.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
Speaking of JJJ, he has a nice scene in this issue, but it’s not as powerful as I was hoping it might be. Towards the end of the Peter Parker series, Bendis was doing some amazing things with Jameson. I have always preferred the respectable newsman version of Jameson as opposed to the raving lunatic Jameson. Like in the first Spider-Man movie, when he refused to tell Green Goblin who sells him the pictures of Spider-Man. And that version of Jameson has always been around in the Ultimate Universe. Towards the end, Jameson had come over on Peter Parker’s side, knowing the truth about the young hero’s identity and doing everything in his power to help him. It was a great storyline…
…abruptly cut short when Peter was killed. So I’m hoping Bendis has some good plans for Jameson and Miles Morales. They’ll probably never share the same connection that Jameson and Peter did, but perhaps there could be some great stories to tell. The scene in this issue points towards something greater, but like everything else in the issue, it still only points towards something else. That’s what’s so weird about this issue. Everything is just a tease.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
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