Category Archives: Marvel
Review: Punisher #4
The new Punisher series by Greg Rucka continues to be a good read, but we’re four issues in and we don’t know anything about the bad guy, the bride has yet to leave the hospital and the Punisher has barely interacted with the rest of the cast. Heck, this issue doesn’t even feature the bad guys. It’s essentially a recap issue, giving us the origin of the Punisher and sort of catching everyone up to the story so far. We’re only four issues in and we need a breather? I don’t think so.
Punisher #4
Four issues in, I want some Grade A badassery.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
That’s not to say Punisher #4 is a bad comic. It’s still a good read, with the mood, atmosphere and art still top notch for this kind of story. Rucka is still telling a grim and gritty Punisher tale, which is how it should be. It’s just that not enough is happening. He’s created a nice cast of supporting characters, all of whom seem more fleshed out than the Punisher, but he’s not doing enough with them. None of them seem to matter more than their particular role in the story, which is essentially just their job. Norah is a reporter. Clemons and Bolt are police detectives. That’s all these people seem to do, and it has yet to go any deeper.
I think Rucka’s trying to make the Punisher into something of a supernatural force of nature…but it’s not working. One problem is the art. The Punisher looks like a freakin’ cover model!
Mimic to Return to Comics; All 6 Fans Rejoice!
So this is some comic news that will excite all half a dozen fans of The Mimic, myself included. The Mimic will appear in an upcoming storyline of X-Men: Legacy sometime in 2012.
Long thought lost and forgotten after his Dark X-Men appearance, the Mimic’s upcoming issues were announced by X-Men: Legacy writer Christos Gage in an Oct. 16 interview with iFanboy. X-Men: Legacy stars Rogue as a teacher to young mutants, and she has taken Wolverine’s side after X-Men: Schism. Here’s what Gage had to say:
In my second arc, we’ll see Mimic and Weapon Omega show up, and chances are good that at least one of them will be around for a while.
Exciting news! Mimic is one of my all-time favorite comic book characters. He has appeared in comics only a handful of times since his debut in the 1960s. So every little appearance is something to be celebrated. As I said, this news isn’t very interesting to anyone except Mimic fans. And this blog post is for them.
I’m not foolish enough to get my hopes up that Mimic will be the one of them sticking around for awhile.
Orange ad proud
Review: Fear Itself #7
This is how the world is saved: not with a whimper, but with huge, bombastic combat and superheroes defeating the bad guys and slaying dragons. The finale to Fear Itself has all the makings of an epic conclusion…except for the continued lack of connectivity with the reader. I said it back in my review of the last issue, but Fear Itself will most likely be better read all in one sitting. This final issue moreso than the last one. We’re looking at just one big, giant fight scene followed by a few seemingly random epilogues. It’s fun to read, but it feels paper thin.
Fear Itself #7
Overall, I’d say Fear Itself is a success as a big, bad superhero brawl. But it’s nothing deeper than that.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
I suppose I liked Fear Itself. It was certainly better than most Big Event comics. It had action, it had strong characters…but it lacked heart. Even the death of a major Marvel characters is muted. It was all excited energy, and rarely took time to slow down and smell the roses. And since superhero comics are all about actions and fight scenes, Fear Itself succeeds as the biggest fight scene of the year. We have Thor slaying a dragon, the Avengers rallying for the final fight and a small moment where the common man lends a hand. There are even a few neat catch phrases thrown around.
So it’s a good comic book. I just wasn’t feeling it. There will be spoilers in this review.
Who is the New Scarlet Spider?
One panel I missed at NYC Comic-Con was the Spider-Man panel by Marvel Comics, where they announced a new ongoing Scarlet Spider series for 2012. That was a shame. The Scarlet Spider is one of mine and my brother’s favorite characters ever. He’s actually a clone of Peter Parker, Spider-Man, who has all of the same powers. During the Clone Saga in the mid-90s, he used his powers for good alongside the real Spider-Man. He had a neat costume and had a lot of heroic adventures.
Until he died.
Happens to the best of us.
Well now he’s coming back…sort of! I’ve done a few posts so far about the various teases, well now I have the full scoop!The name ‘Scarlet Spider’ is coming back, at least, in a new ongoing series. Marvel debuted the first cover and a really clear picture of the character at Comic-Con.
I miss the torn blue hoodie
The question is…who is under the mask?
That’s a big mystery for now, though I have one really good guess that I’ll save to the end. I found an interview with writer Chris Yost talking about the upcoming series. It seems the new Scarlet will be something of a fugitive after the current Spider-Island storyline. He’ll be making his way down to Texas and Mexico, which could be pretty cool. New supporting characters, new villains, plus some old villains with the mothballs dusted off.
This is sort of a dangerous idea, frankly. A new series with all new characters banking only on a nostalgic name/concept. It’s going to have to be stellar to not get cancelled right away. Still, I expect to enjoy it for however long we have it.
As to my theory on the identity of the new Scarlet Spider…it’s Kaine!
Spider-Island is coming to an end in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, and in the last issue, Kaine recovered from being a monster. He was transformed back into a normal looking person – albeit one who looks exactly like Peter Parker. For Kaine is another clone. He’s just still around, as opposed to the original Scarlet Spider. The two were actually enemies/reluctant allies back in the 90s. So it would be fitting for Kaine to take on his fellow clone’s superhero identity.
And I would love if it was Kaine.
Kaine is OK!
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #3
The heroism of Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man, kicks off with this issue! But poor, young Miles just isn’t ready for it. He’s only like 13, I think. He’s not a hero! He just wants to be a kid! I can really feel for the boy. Just because his best friend Ganke thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world (and it is) doesn’t mean Miles is ready to be a superhero.
But sometimes fate kills Peter Parker.
Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
I really enjoyed this issue. The All-New Spider-Man is not yet blowing me away, but it’s a fantastic read. And writer Brian Michael Bendis finally kicks off some real spidery-heroics with this issue. Miles makes his first big play at being the new Spider-Man, even if he doesn’t have the costume yet. And even if it’s a scene straight out of both the first and second Spider-Man movies. (Wow, now that I think about it, Spider-Man really did save a kid from a burning building in both movies…) Anyway, the introduction to Miles Morales continues to be stellar in both story and art.
But what the hell is up with that cover? Who thought it would be a great idea to awkwardly shove Spider-Man’s huge ass in our faces?
Henchman-4-Hire