Category Archives: Comics
Review: X-Factor #243
Now we’ve come to the Polaris issue! I think every character who is leaving X-Factor is getting their own issue in this ‘Breaking Points’ storyline, and now we’ve arrived at the Polaris one. It’s a good issue, revealing new facts in Polaris’ already twisted backstory while providing some nice supporting work by the other characters. But it kind of comes out of nowhere. Was anybody really eager to hear some new convoluted twist to Polaris’ life? And other than hardcore Polaris fans, was anybody really interested in seeing a whole issue dedicated to her problems?
X-Factor #243
Polaris, and to an extent Havok, have been non-characters for so long. It’s nice of writer Peter David to try and make something of them, but I think it’s too little too late, especially considering where they’re going.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
This is a solid issue of X-Factor. It’s got some good humor, some great character work and tells a complete story. It also builds on a few ongoing storylines and teases the next issue, which looks to focus on Banshee, though I hope she’s staying in the book. My problem is with Polaris, and I’ll explain more after the jump. She’s such a messed up, blank slate character at this point. How does it help her for PAD to add some crazy new wrinkles to her backstory…unless he thinks he’s smoothing them out. Her character has been through Hell, both mentally and physically, over the past few years. She’s due for a smoothing out. But I don’t know if that is accomplished in this issue.
Still, like I said, it’s a pretty fun issue of X-Factor. The team acts like a group of friends/frenemies just trying to help each other get by. And that’s the real strength of this series.
Cannonball Steps Up Big Time!
This is kind of a minor thing, but apparently the superhero Cannonball is going to join the Avengers in the new Marvel NOW! relaunch!
That’s him in the upper left hand corner
That’s a set of three covers from the new series, by writer Jonathan Hickman. There are a few new characters – as well as every single Avenger from this summer’s big movie – but the important one, to me, is Cannonball. Not that I’m a huge Cannonball fan or anything, I just generally like the idea of minor characters like that stepping up to do something new and bigger than their usual fare.
Plus, I remember back in the 90s when Cannonball ‘graduated’ from X-Force onto the X-Men. That was treated like a really big deal at the time, and I enjoyed him on the team. I miss the days when being on a certain team meant something, as did shifting from one team to the other. Still, perhaps you’ll enjoy the look at the new Avengers lineup. I’m sure it’s going to last…4 months.
Review: Phantom Lady and Doll Man #1
The best thing about this comic is the cover by artist Amanda Conner. It’s all downhill from there. I picked up Phantom Lady and Doll Man #1 on a whim, because none of my usual review titles came out this week, and I also bought and reviewed the first issue of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s The Ray comic back in the Winter. I thought The Ray was generic and simple, though not without some heart and warmth. So I thought I’d give Phantom Lady a shot to see what these two guys could do with a relatively blank slate character, reinventing her and her partner for the New 52. I especially liked her new costume.
PH & DM #1
Boy was this a mistake. Phantom Lady and Doll Man #1 is a dull comic featuring lazy storytelling, idiotic and uninteresting heroes and villains and a moment so sexist that I can’t quite be sure if I’m overreacting or underreacting to it.
Comic rating: 2/5: Bad!
With something as big and grand as DC’s New 52 reboot, why would anybody write something so mediocre? I know Gray and Palmiotti are capable of good comics, but this isn’t one of them. There is nothing remarkable or interesting about this comic, no hook to get us excited. It’s a by-the-numbers superhero story, but stars two bone-headed, paper thin lead characters and a villain who is so over-the-top evil as to be more ridiculous than menacing. Not to mention a poor use of superheroics, a few silly stretches of credibility and art that is serviceable at best. Amanda Conner was only tapped to draw the cover, the rest of the comic is left up to Cat Staggs. And while the art is OK, it doesn’t have nearly the character or charisma of Conner’s pencils. The greatness of that cover compared to what follows is like a cruel bait-and-switch.
Phantom Lady and Doll Man is a 4-part series designed to bring these two old-timey characters into the new, modern world of the New 52. If the rest of this series is anything like this first issue, DC has completely wasted any potential that could have been had. If you like your superheroes to be boring, lifeless and generic, then this is the book for you.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and a bit more explanation on why I thought this issue was so bad.
Hell Comes to All Batmen
By JC Richard
This rather awesome look at the loneliness and prestige of the Batcave is going to be a poster on sale for $50 on Aug. 30 from Mondo. I think it looks absolutely fantastic, and if I lived in more than just an empty bachelor pad that doesn’t get many visitors I would totally buy it. Love both the detail and the emptiness conveyed in this picture. You can follow MondoNews on Twitter to get up to the minute updates on the sale if you’re interested in buying a poster.
6 DC Characters I’d Like to See on ‘Arrow’
Even though they couldn’t make a Justice League movie to save their own asses, DC Comics has mastered bringing its superheroes to the small screen. They’ve got a robust and popular direct-to-DVD animated market, decades worth of quality cartoons and some of the best live action superhero television shows of all time. Smallville got 10 seasons out of the early years of Clark Kent. That’s very impressive.
Now they’re going to try again for another hit with Arrow on the CW.
Because apparently ‘Green’ is a 4-letter word
Ostensibly based on the character Green Arrow, somebody somewhere decided to drop the whole ‘Green’ part of his name. Not cool enough for modern audiences, I guess? Didn’t seem to hurt when Green Arrow was a major character on Smallville. Anyway, color coordination aside, Arrow is going to be a gritty, urban show about a street-level vigilante fighting crime. The previews have looked pretty awesome so far, and I’m excited. I’m even more excited about all of the superhero cameos the show is going to feature.
So being the comic book geek that I am, I started thinking about what characters I’d like to see appear on Arrow. There is one ground rule through, established by the producers themselves: no powers. With that ground rule in place, here are the 6 DC characters I’d like to see cameo in Arrow.
Henchman-4-Hire