Category Archives: Comics
Review: Teen Titans #5
Writer Scott Lobdell and artist Brett Booth team up to deliver what could be the very best issue so far of the new Teen Titans series. The problem is that I only say that because this issue is wall-to-wall action and fight scene, meaning there isn’t time to focus on the various problems I’ve had with this series. Still, great fight scene! The Titans take on Superboy in this issue, marking their first real superhero brawl as a team.
Teen Titans #5
Do they win? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
I’m going to try, from now on, to get over the various hang-ups I’ve had with this series. I can’t keep repeating them over and over again in every review. The dialogue feels forced, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is a terrible villain and this team of Titans feels like they were picked out of a hat and just thrown together. These aren’t going to be fixed because one random guy is whining on the Internet. So I’m just going to start incorporating them into the basic fabric of the book. If they get better, I’ll let you know. They’re all still evident in this issue, but they don’t drag down what is an otherwise awesome fight scene.
Every character that appears in this issue gets their moment to shine, highlighting new aspects of their personalities while building towards a better story overall. Definitely an issue I would recommend.
Story and synopsis after the jump!
Fun Notes from April Comic Book Solicitations
For lack of anything better to write about today, let’s take a look at the recently released Marvel and DC comic book solicitations for April. Comic book companies release cover pictures and brief blurbs about upcoming comics months in advance so that retailers can know what they want to order. It also gives us comic book fans a chance to see what’s coming down the pike. I rather enjoy looking at all the colorful titles and read about upcoming stories, especially in my favorite titles.
There will be some spoilers, so watch out!
Marvel Comics
First up, let’s take a look at the potentially exciting summary of X-Factor #234.
X-Factor #234
X-Factor #234
Peter David 
Leonard Kirk (A)
Covers by David Yardin
• Catfight! Monet Calls Layla Out…And It’s Gonna Get Ugly.
• A Departed Member Of X-Factor Returns.
• And Introducing Seattle’s Newest Heroes: The Insignia And Shutterbug! (One Of Whom May Not Make It Through The Issue.)
A departed cast member returning!? Could that be the highly anticipated return of Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man to the land of the living? Madrox’s ‘death’ is supposed to play out over the next few months, will he be ready to return to the team in April? The cover is clearly more interested in the Monet vs. Layla fight, but I’m definitely curious who the blurb is talking about. I know that Peter David and Marvel marketing are protective of their secrets, so they wouldn’t spoil the end of the current Madrox ‘death’ storyline in a solicitation. But it’s enough to hope.
The only other character it could be is Darwin, who left the series many issues ago for parts unknown. It could very well be Darwin and I’m just getting my hopes up. But they will stay up until proven otherwise that Multiple Man isn’t coming back for good.
Next is X-Men Legacy #265 and the fabled appearance of Mimic!
X-Men Legacy #265
X-Men Legacy #265
Christos Gage (W)Rafa Sandoval (A)
Cover by Mark Brooks
• Time Is Running Out For Weapon Omega, The Mutant Time Bomb. How Will The X-Men Disarm Him Before He Implodes And Takes The School With Him?
• A Recently-Returned Mutant Becomes A Full-Fledged Member Of Wolverine’s X-Men.
I’ve known for months now that Mimic would be making a cameo appearance in this title, and it’s exciting to see him there on the cover. It’s rumored that either Mimic or Omega will join the cast, and I hope it’s Mimic…but it’ll probably be Omega. He has much more story potential as a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. The blurb there mentions someone joining, and I’m just going to assume that it’s going to be Omega.
But I can dream, can’t I?
Mentioned by one of the commenters in my last Ultimate Spider-Man review, when is regular artist Sarah Pichelli coming back? Well according to the solicitation for Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #9, she’s not coming back in April.
Ultimate Spider-Man #9
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9
Brian Michael Bendis • David Marquez (A)
• The Police Have Miles Squarely In Their Sights!
• Prowler Versus The Scorpion!
• Is The Secret Of The New Spider-Man Out?!
So I guess we will continue to be denied Pichelli’s stellar art from the first 6 issues of the series. Shame. It’s cool to see more Ultimate Prowler action, but is that not a hideous cover? It looks computer rendered and it looks like colorforms plastered on a cardboard backdrop.
You can read the rest of the Marvel Comics solicitations for April here.
DC Comics
There’s only one comic in April from DC that I think has something worth note, and that’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #8.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #8
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Suzie Su is back, and she’s betting a hospital full of hostages will get Red Hood’s attention! If that isn’t enough to keep him and the Outlaws busy, there’s someone waiting in the wings! It’s Tim Drake knocking on Red Hood’s door with a very special package for his estranged “brother.” Don’t miss Red Robin’s cameo this issue, as it ties directly into next month’s “Night of the Owls” Batman event!
A guess appearance by Red Robin!? Sweet! Tim Drake appears to be crossing back into the Bat-family of books in preparation for Night of the Owls. I only wish it was a more Batman-oriented book instead of the red-headed step-child of the family. Night of the Owls is going to encompass all of the Bat-books, including Red Hood, but Tim Drake and the Teen Titans are considered part of the teen-family of DC Comics. So he wasn’t guaranteed to appear in the crossover.
This solicitation is a good sign that Tim has not been forgotten.
You can read the rest of DC Comics solicitations for April here.
Forgotten Characters: Hybrid
Whatever happened to Hybrid?
I love symbiotes.
I love the concept of a living superhero costume. I love the visual of the ooze-like alien swarming over someone’s body. I like the viciousness they bring to battle. I just think they’re cool. And so too do a lot of comic book fans, otherwise why would Venom and Carnage become such huge characters in the 90s?
Speaking of the 90s, that’s when my favorite symbiote debuted: Hybrid!
Embrace the 90s!
But like most passing fads, the symbiotes’ popularity eventually died out. Sure Venom still gets first-class billing, but all of the other dozen or so symbiotes created at the height of their popularity have either been killed off or simply disappeared into the comic book ether. Hybrid faced such a fate after his debut in the 90s. But I’ve got good news for you Hybrid fans – he’s back! Sort of!
More after the jump!
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #6
Oh Sarah Pichelli, I miss you already.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man has a new artist with this issue, and I hope Chris Samnee is just a fill in. He does an OK job, but is nothing compared to the emotional and detailed glory of regular artist Pichelli. At least I hope she’s a regular artist. I don’t know why the switch, I’m just hoping we see her again soon.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #6
Because the not-quite-as-amazing art brings down an otherwise stellar issue.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
Though not by much. Writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us a fantastic issue of Miles Morales getting used to his new role as Spider-Man, while adding in some family time, a visit to J. Jonah Jameson and a preview of the next storyline and new villain. Even Uncle Aaron, the Prowler, is back! This issue is a definite transition, bringing us down from the opening story and moving us into the next.
The only complaint I can really make is that it doesn’t transcend the written word into full-on comic book perfection. It doesn’t rise to the level where I would give it a perfect score.
Still, very damn good comic book. Spoilers and synopsis to follow!
New DC Comics Adds Color, Character
No sooner do I mock the new DC Comics logo than they decide to show me up. DC has finally gone public with the log in an article in at Fast Company. Take a look, see what you think. Not only are they in color, but they can also be redesigned to fit specific characters.
Look at all the pretty colors on the ugly logo
Starting at the top, we’ve got what I think are Batman, Catwoman, Flash, Watchmen, Green Lantern and possibly, this is just a guess, but the Gray Ghost? The font is called ‘Gotham Bold’. Clever.
Here’s what some high DC muckety-muck said about the logo in that article:
“We didn’t want a static logo, but a living identity that could capture the power of our characters and storytelling,” says Amit Desai, senior vice president of franchise management. “What is special about DC content is the notion of a dual identity. When you think about our DC Comics superheroes, there’s a secret identity. When you think about Vertigo, it’s this notion of good vs. evil in many of the stories. And so, in addition to flexibility, the new logo communicates this idea of dual identity: There’s more than meets the eye. You have to take a closer look to understand the richness of our characters and stories.”
Apparently Desai and his guys have been working on the new logo design for the past year. Why they decided to reveal it now instead of back during the New 52 reboot in September is anyone’s guess. The Logo will be slapped on not only comics, but also MAD Magazine and probably upcoming movies and TV shows.
I still don’t like it.
This is how it’s going to look on the comics, at least according to Bleeding Cool. Why these example logos don’t look like the logos up above is also anyone’s guess:
These are old comics, so perhaps these are just photo-shopped?
The new logos will debut in March, because why the hell not? It’s not like DC have announced a big Second Wave of comics to come out in May alongside the epic Batman ‘Night of Owls’ storyline. It would just be silly to line up the new logo with a big comic event. Best to just give a new logo room to breath.
Henchman-4-Hire