Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Teen Titans #20
Writer Tony Bedard should not take up a side job writing Internet memes. As a long time reader of the Internet, I consider myself fairly well versed with the world of memes. I think I know what I’m talking about. Bedard dazzles us with a few in this new issue, as the Teen Titans take on this instantly dated phenomenon. I’m not even sure why they bothered.
Teen Titans is a lame duck comic book. With a complete revamp on the way in Rebirth, I’m not really sure why Teen Titans is still shambling along like it is.
Comic Rating: 4/10 – Pretty Bad.
Maybe if we were looking at a Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo-style climax, or if we had any sort of ongoing story to tell, or even if the comic was still using its original numbering and DC Comics wanted to get to the magic 52nd issue, then maybe I would understand why Teen Titans is still putting out new issues ahead of Rebirth. But there’s nothing here. Heck, this is Bedard’s first issue on the series. He’s clearly some kind of pinch-hitter brought on to keep the series on life support before the switch.
Why?
Is it sales? Does Teen Titans sell enough to justify scraping together a few more crummy issues over the next few months? Maybe if they were using these issues to build up to the Rebirth changes, I would understand. But that’s not happening either. This issue could be any regular issue of Teen Titans. There’s an awkward training sequence followed by the aforementioned memes plot, and the arrival of a sudden, random villain. Nothing in this issue signifies the end. Nothing in this issue signifies a new beginning or a new direction.
Nothing indicates the ‘Fall of the Titans’ that the cover implies…unless the Teen Titans are going to be undone because somebody is making crappy Internet memes about them…
Teen Titans #20 is weak filler. And it’s filled with some weird storytelling choices.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/21/16
This was a good week for comics. My pile was lighter than I anticipated, and I thought things would be pretty calm. But then several issues really stood out to me as winners. We’ve got Silver Surfer, Harley Quinn, Astonishing Ant-Man, Power Man and Iron Fist; this is a damn fine week for the funny books. And almost any of these could have won Comic Book of the Week. I was really tempted to give Harley Quinn major props this week.
But Comic Book of the Week goes to All-New Wolverine #8! Writer Tom Taylor is really pushing Laura as a new hero in her own right, while doubling down on comic book awesomeness. I really love seeing where he takes the legacy of Wolverine, and how he uses it to empower Laura.
It’s a complicated legacy
Although Harley Quinn has something Wolverine doesn’t: romance! At least I think so…
Comic Reviews: All-New Wolverine #8, Astonishing Ant-Man #8, Harley Quinn #28, Power Man and Iron Fist #4, Silver Surfer #4 and Spider-Man #4.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/14/16
If you’re reading this, then I am kickin’ back and having a great time at the Haverhill Public Library Comic-Con in Haverhill, Massachusetts! I’ve been to a lot of comic conventions over the years, but this is the very first time I’ll be presenting my own comic, Gamer Girl & Vixen! I’m very excited, and I hope it’s going well. I’ll do a write up on the event next week.
But for now, let’s enjoy some quality comics! Batman and Starfire both bow out of the New 52, Black Panther takes a crack at a second issue, and I dipped my toes into a few more non-superhero titles for once, with the return of Kaijumax.
The new issue of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers wins Comic Book of the Week, because it knows what I want, and it delivers without shame. Go, Green Ranger, Go Go!
My childhood
Also, in case you didn’t know, the Green Ranger is way better than the White Ranger. That’s just a fact.
Comic Reviews: Batman #52, Black Panther #2, Kaijumax #1, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #3 and Starfire #12.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/7/16
What a strange two weeks. Last week, my pile of comics was so overflowing with good options that I didn’t have time to read and review them all! This week, there’s barely a smattering of titles I read, though a lot of the comics do feature characters that star in this week’s Captain America: Civil War. And I promise to get caught up on Black Widow. I really want to read that comic.
As it stands, I was a little too busy watching Civil War to get caught up on a comics, so the review offerings are a bit weak this week. Still, we got new Spider-Man and Iron Man comics, as well as the Comic Book of the Week, Punisher #1, by Becky Cloonan — though if I’m being entirely honest, I wasn’t that big of a fan of the issue.
Despite it’s cinder block attacks
My ‘problems’ with the Punisher are well-documented on this blog. They’re no one’s fault but my own.
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #12, Invincible Iron Man #9 and Punisher #1.
Review: Captain America: Civil War
It doesn’t get much better than this. And I say that fully believing that Marvel can go even bigger, better and more exciting. If after more than ten movies deep into their film slate, Marvel can still produce something as amazing as Captain America: Civil War, then the future remains as bright as ever. This is the epic, spectacular, big bombast superhero movie that Marvel has been building towards all these years.
Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great.
Captain America: Civil War is a glorious mix of spectacle and drama, combining some of the most touching and important character work in the entire franchise with quite possibly the greatest bout of superhero action to ever grace the silver screen. The centerpiece ‘war’ between heroes at the abandoned airport is worth the price of admission alone. It’s worth of price of admission to every Marvel movie we’ve seen so far, building on almost each and every film to instill real emotional heft to these characters and their punches.
When Captain American, Iron Man and their allies face off in Civil War, there is real history behind it. We’ve seen the previous movies. We’ve seen the friendships and rivalries grow and build and strain. We’ve seen Steve Rogers and Tony Stark get testy in The Avengers. We’ve watched Black Widow’s character arc from the sidelines of other movies. We’ve seen Ant-Man consider calling the Avengers for help. This has been a journey.
Civil War is a movie for Marvel fans, for the people who have seen all their movies and probably held mini-marathons to gear up for this new one. It’s not ashamed of that focus, and it shouldn’t be. Marvel is producing a masterpiece on a scale never before imagined, and they’re pulling it off with such skill and excitement that I almost feel bad for other movies.
Like, do any of the previous Spider-Man movies even matter anymore? Batman v. Superman surely doesn’t.
Join me after the jump for the full review. There will be SPOILERS for Captain America: Civil War.
Henchman-4-Hire 