Category Archives: Marvel
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #18
Miles Morales doesn’t usually have a lot of inner narration, but this issue is chock full of it, and it definitely makes for a more engaging story. Not a lot happens plot-wise, and Miles being lost in the fields of Wisconsin is fixed rather easily, but it’s still a very fun and fulfilling story. It’s fun to read Miles working out his problems in his head. He’s a smart kid with a strong personality, and his inner commentary elevated a somewhat simple story. Throw in a few emotional moments with Spider-Woman and Miles’ parents and you’ve got a real winner.
Ultimate Spider-Man #18
When ‘Divided We Fall/United We Stand’ started, I didn’t think Brian Michael Bendis had any interest in crossing over. But now that the story is finally done, I’m happy with what Bendis did to help flesh out Miles and his family.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
Ultimate Spider-Woman has always been a very fascinating character, and I wish I was reading Ultimates so that I could see more of her in action. She’s a great foil for Miles Morales, and their scenes together in this issue – especially in light of her attitude last issue – were fantastic. We, the reader, know exactly why Jessica Drew is so awkward around Miles Morales, but he’s clueless, and it leads to a really nice scene between the two. Likewise, Miles’ parents get a standout scene as Jefferson fills us in on what happened with the HYDRA terrorists. I was definitely surprised by the reveal, and I’m excited to see what it does for his character. I’ve always felt Bendis has been a little lacking when it comes to Miles’ relationship with his parents and how they impact his life. I hope this is the start of some good stories.
And it’s Miles Morales himself who carries the comic, with a running internal commentary like Peter Parker used to do. Miles is definitely a different person than Peter, but he’s still got that desire to be heroic, and that’s always relatable. I also like that Miles isn’t quip-a-minute, but still kind of funny. And Bendis finds a lot of humor and cool action in Miles’ fight this issue – with artist David Marquez drawing the hell out of this issue! The art is absolutely perfect, making for an even better comic.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
The Startling Surprise Ending to Amazing Spider-Man #700!
Warning! There will be SPOILERS in this post! So read at your own peril!
The big, epic, glorious Amazing Spider-Man #700 came out this week, the one Marvel and writer Dan Slott have been hyping for months now. It’s the last issue of Amazing Spider-Man, leading into the brand new Superior Spider-Man next month! So what was the big dramatic change that Dan Slott was promising? Does he really have to hide in a bunker from all the fan anger?
Well, does he?
Is all of this history just wiped away?
Not as far as I’m concerned. He doesn’t even have to buy a big hat.
Short answer, I’m disappointed and disinterested.
I’m not angry or filled with a burning need for geeky revenge against Slott. He’s the writer of Spider-Man. He gets to come up with the stories and tell whatever tale he wants. I don’t think he’s ruined Spider-Man forever. But at the same time, I’m just not excited by what he’s done. I’m sure some people are violently angry and I’m sure some people are bristling with excitement. I am neither.
I’ll put the long answer after the jump. But Amazing Spider-Man #700 is a fantastic comic book. It’s got exciting, edge-of-your-seat action and more drama than you can shake a stick at. I’ll review it on Saturday with the rest of the week’s comics, but for right now, just know that it truly is an amazing issue.
It’s just that the big surprise ending does nothing for me. Though I bet my brother is going to love it.
SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP! DON’T CLICK IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/22/12
What the hell, Marvel!? Some of us still have Christmas shopping to do, yet you hit us the week before Christmas with a massive pile of new comics to buy? Jeez louise! Bad enough this is also my heavy DC Comics week too! So let’s just say I bought a ton of comics this week, all so Marvel can be all fancy and only release Amazing Spider-Man #700 next week. Their big marketing scheme is hell on my wallet. At least most of the comics that came out this week were pretty good.
Everything under the sun seemed to come out this week, giving us a wide range of different titles. We’ve got major releases for the Avengers, X-Men and the Fantastic Four, not to mention both X-Force titles. If you’re more into Batman and the Death of the Family story, there are both the Nightwing and Red Hood tie-ins, one of which was good and the other quite bad. So very busy week. And though there were a lot of great titles, I think FF #2 pulls away with Comic Book of the Week. I really think that title is going to live up to its awesome potential.
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #4, Avengers #2, Batwoman #15, Cable and X-Force #2, Captain Marvel #8, FF #2, Green Lantern #15, Green Lantern: New Guardians #15, Hawkeye #6, Indestructible Hulk #2, Nightwing #15, Red Hood and the Outlaws #15, Thor: God of Thunder #3, Thunderbolts #2, Uncanny X-Force #35, Wolverine and the X-Men #22, Wonder Woman #15.
Animated Punisher Fan Film Makes My Day
The Internet does it again and randomly delivers a fan-animated adaptation of Garth Ennis’ Do Not Fall in New York City.
Apparently this came out a few months ago, but I haven’t heard about it until now. Ain’t that how it always is? The film is a brilliant piece of Ennis brutality. It could have used some music, but otherwise it’s quite moody, and perfectly Punisher. See Hollywood, it’s not hard at all to get the Punisher right. This was made by animator Luis Pelayo Junquera.
Review: X-Factor #249
Talk about a full 180! I hated last issue for it’s weak character work and utterly generic plot. But Peter David completely turns things around with a fun, character-rich comic that has X-Factor facing off in true superhero fashion against an army of demons. I can’t remember the last time this team was so on the ball. Multiple Man, especially, steps up in a big way.
X-Factor #249
And you know that any issue where my favorite superhero kicks ass is going to be a good issue.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
I’m still not entirely thrilled with the prospect of this Hell on Earth War, but I’m serious when I say that Peter David really brings out his A-game with the character work in this issue. And he does so in the middle of an epic battle, which isn’t usually the case for X-Factor. Usually, Peter David writes some crummy action issues and then some stellar talking issues. X-Factor #249 is a combination of the two, with a dash of epic mixed in for good measure. So maybe I’m going to start getting my hopes up for the Hell on Earth War.
This issue serves as a prologue to the whole event, and in that case, it sort of fails. Because we learn absolutely nothing new about the War or what it’s going to entail. Demons, I guess? Hell? Hellfire? More demons? I dunno. That’s one failing of this issue, that the villains are absolutely nobodies. Vera returns, and I guess something can be said about the fact that she’s the sister of a demon we met in the past, but that older demon wasn’t much of a character either. And beyond ‘Vera’, none of the bad guys in this issue get names or motivations. They’re just randomly evil demons.
And X-Factor kick their asses!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
Henchman-4-Hire