Category Archives: Comics
Review: Scarlet Spider #2
The second issue of this new Scarlet Spider series lives up to the awesomeness of the first. Kaine is badass and very much still in line as the Anti-Hero Spider-Man. There is one little hiccup towards the end, which I’ll discuss later. But it’s safe to say that the book has a good start. There is no second-issue-slump. Writer Chris Yost continues his world building efforts, and I hope he gets a chance to really flesh them out.
Because frankly, there’s nothing very special about Scarlet Spider.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
I know that sounds negative, but it’s true! There’s no hook to this book. There’s no catchy or flashy gimmick, no particular reason for it to exist. It’s just Badass Spider-Man being badass – in Houston of all places! So I’m worried that Scarlet Spider is just not going to keep an audience. It’s written like a generic superhero title, one that just happens to cling to the Spider-Man family of books to stay afloat. I’m sure a large portion of its audience are people like me, who are big fans of Kaine and the very concept of a ‘Scarlet Spider’ series. But that audience alone can’t sustain a book.
Yost needs to come up with a very compelling reason why people should keep reading. Spoilers and synopsis to follow!
The One Thing Everybody Knew About Power Girl is Now Gone
Namely, her boobs.
Just like The Ravagers cover from earlier today, DC Comics has released the cover to the first issue of World’s Finest. The new series will star Power Girl and Huntress from Earth 2, only they’re stuck in the normal DC Universe and trying to find a way home. This comes with an updated costume for Power Girl, but oddly, not for Huntress. I like the new costume, but it pretty much does away with the only thing people really knew about Power Girl.
Bye, bye cleavage window!
For the uninitiated, this is what Power Girl’s costume used to look like. And yes, everybody made fun of it. so you can see why they decided to make a change. Power Girl and her cleavage window were pretty much their own meme.
Also, it should be noted that the ‘flashback’ image behind the two superheroines seems to indicate that Huntress used to be Robin. That’s pretty neat! More on that later when I post the preview cover of the new Justice Society!
First Look at DC’s ‘The Ravagers’
Remember the announcement that DC Comics would launch 6 new titles in May, and that one of them would be called The Ravagers, about a team of teenage heroes on the run from bad guys? Of course you do. And if you don’t, I’m here to remind you! Because DC Comics has posted the first team image of the Ravagers…and they’re a bunch of nobodies!
To be fair, the buff redhead at the front of the pack is a somebody. She’s Caitlin Fairchild, former leader of Gen 13 from Wildstorm Comics. They were fairly popular in the 90s (I think they had a cartoon show!). She’s one of several Wildstorm characters to make the jump to the DC Universe proper with the new 52 reboot. Up until this series, Fairchild has been a supporting character in the Superboy comic, a brainy scientist who has been trying to help Superboy. Well it looks like DC is going to pull the trigger and make Caitlin into her more well-known and muscular superhero identity, putting her at the head of a new group of teenager superheroes.
Or a new group of nobodies, if you ask me. Who the heck are those losers?
There wasn’t any text to accompany this image, but I get the feeling that DC is inventing 5 new characters to join Fairchild on this team. That is a ridiculous idea! DC rebooted their entire comics line in September, and they weren’t afraid to give characters completely new origins. Superboy, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash of the Teen Titans all have brand new origins. So in this situation, I would think that DC would have been better served to open their vast catalogue of teenage characters and reinvent some well-known and already popular heroes. At least then there would be a built-in audience (of sorts). Instead, DC is going to bank this title on sheer interest in superheroes alone, I guess.
Because the name ‘Ravagers’ is just stupid. That name is so generic, they might as well be called ‘The Wild Cats’.
If you’re going to reboot your comics, which DC clearly did, then have some fun with it. New characters have their place, but with a reboot, half the fun is in re-inventing and re-imagining your longtime characters. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of teenage DC characters who have yet to appear in this reboot that would probably be perfect for this new series.
Can I get some love for the Wonder Twins?
Review: Punisher #8
Finally picking back up with the Punisher and the Bride facing off at the fireplace, the latest issue of The Punisher moves the plot forward in several ways. But it does so without fixing any of the frequent problems I’ve had with this series. Perhaps, like Teen Titans, I should just accept certain problems as part of the story and move on. Because if you overlook those issues, there really is a decent Punisher story here. And the twist ending is very exciting.
We might finally get to see the Punisher doing some punishing next issue!
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
The Punisher himself remains a quiet phantom, there’s no changing that. But at least we get appearances from all the other major players, we even learn a bit more about a lot of them. Not that this ‘bit more’ really adds anything, especially to the villains. As far as I’m concerned, The Exchange has fallen flat on their faces as bad guys. Adding a bit of tension between them means zilch at this point. But it’s better than nothing, I suppose. I enjoy plot progression at least.
But when is he going to lose that stupid eye patch? Did Punisher lose his eye or what?
Synopsis and spoilers after the jump!
Death and Return of Superman 4 Hire
Marking the 20th anniversary (almost) of the Death of Superman, “Chronicle” screenwriter Max Landis gives us this glowing tribute, featuring the talents of Elijah Wood and Mandy Moore. Enjoy! It’s perhaps the most accurate rendition I’ve ever seen.





