Category Archives: Reviews

Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 1/2/16

Speaking of dropping the ball…turns out I was too busy partying and playing video games to read too many comics in the new year. I had some vague plans about getting caught up on Black Canary or Batman and Robin Eternal so that this week’s reviews would pack a little bit of a punch, at least. But I’m apparently going to start 2016 with a whimper! Woot! I did manage to read and review the newest issue of All-New Wolverine, though, so I think that wins Comic Book of the Week by default!

Just Wolverine stuff

It’s OK, though. There weren’t many comics out this week anyway. Don’t worry, starting next week, the world goes back to normal.

Comic Reviews: All-New Wolverine #3.

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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/26/15

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all! This was a pretty big week for comics, but it was also a pretty big week for Christmas. If you’re reading this on Saturday morning, I’m likely still with my family, celebrating. Such are the benefits of having both Christmas and the day after off from work.

So my list of reviews is a bit shorter this week due to the time crunch. Still, I read some really good comics this week, including new issues of Saga and Robin War, as well as the next chapter of Dark Knight III: The Master Race.

Comic Book of the Week goes to the first issue of Patsy Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat! It’s a fun, colorful and very savvy new comic, though it does skew a little too closely to some of Marvel’s other offerings, like Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Still, Squirrel Girl doesn’t have moments like this.

Take that, bad guy!

No, that’s not how Hellcat is draw throughout the entire comic. That’s just for funnsies!

Comic Reviews: Dark Knight III #2, Patsy Walker, a.k.a. Hellcat #1, Robin: Son of Batman #7 and Saga #32.

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Review: Teen Titans #15

Well hot diggity dog! Somebody break out the fine wine and party hats, we’ve got a pretty decent issue of Teen Titans on our hands! Nothing in this new issue really grinds my gears. We’ve got some good art from one of my favorites, Ian Churchill. The villain is pretty dastardly, and while he does come out of left field, he does so in a normal, comic book sort of way. And Bunker is this close to having the lead role this issue. I honestly hope this is the start of bigger and better things for Bunker.

Teen Titans #15

Don’t let the cover fool you, though. This is a pretty crappy crossover with Robin War, but it’s a pretty nice issue of Teen Titans.

Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

I know what you’re thinking: I usually hate Teen Titans. And it’s true, I do. But I don’t hate Teen Titans out of some ingrown desire to hate it, it’s just not my comics cup of tea, despite the creative teams’ best efforts. Teen Titans has a lot of problems. But those problems have a lot of easy solutions, and writers Will Pfeifer and Scott Lobdell do a lot of things almost right in this new issue. The madness has died down. We’re free of whatever the heck DC wanted done with Superboy. Now it’s just the Teen Titans being superheroes. There’s also almost a scene of them being ordinary teenagers, but it’s gone in a (Kid) flash. But that aside, this is a solid issue. It doesn’t make Teen Titans a worthwhile comic, but considering Teen Titans as a whole, this is sort of a pleasant experience.

Look, if you’re like me and would like to read a consistently enjoyable and entertaining Teen Titans comic, this isn’t it. But if you’re also like me, and you’re still buying this series and hoping for the best, then today is your lucky day! With Red Robin off playing War, the rest of the Titans are left to find and fight bad guys all on their own. And while Pfeifer and Lobdell don’t go nearly far enough to flesh out the other Titans, at least the issue is a good read.

Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!

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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/19/15

Happy Star Wars Weekend, everybody! Have you seen the movie yet? Maybe twice? I got my full review up last night, and while I wasn’t as excited as I expected, it was still an entertaining movie. I probably should have read some Star Wars comics this week, but I was too busy celebrating some of my favorites! Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Ms. Marvel and more dropped this week, making it an excellent week for comics and geekery in general, honestly.

Comic Book of the Week goes to Mighty Thor #2. Everything I read this week was good, but Mighty Thor is something special.

Activate cheat codes

Speaking of comics, check out the Facebook page for my own comic, Gamer Girl & Vixen! We’re on the verge of passing 200 likes, and if you’re interested, you might enjoy it!

Comic Reviews: Batgirl #46, Harley Quinn #23, Mighty Thor #2, Ms. Marvel #2, Silk #2 and We Are Robin #7.

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Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Fair warning, there will be SPOILERS later on in this review. Everything before the jump will be spoiler-free, and everything after the jump will have spoilers. I’ll make the distinction clear.

This is not the movie you’re looking for. Or maybe it is. Honestly, I think opinions are going to be all over the map for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For some, it might be a glorious return to that wonderful galaxy far, far away. For me, it was a fine and enjoyable film, but it wasn’t the be-all, end-all cinematic second coming that it was hyped up to be. Instead, The Force Awakens is a fun adventure full of familiar characters that easily entertains.

But if this really is the start of several decades worth of new Star Wars films, one after another, I’m no longer as excited as I was yesterday.

Movie Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.

There is definitely a lot to enjoy about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s definitely worth going to see, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan. The new cast all acquit themselves well, meshing splendidly together and with the old, returning cast. Harrison Ford’s aged Han Solo steals the show, with ample support from the legendary Chewbacca. The two of them on screen again is worth the price of admission alone. Lightsabers blaze with iconic glory, the Millennium Falcon is as great as we’ve always know it to be, and this galaxy looks like the lived in, wildly varied galaxy of yore.

But the movie is far from perfect. There are numerous plot contrivances that seem to exist solely to bait the fans’ love for the franchise. Several seemingly important characters barely get any screen time, making you wonder why they seemed like such a big deal in all the advertising. And worst of all, what really took me out of the movie, was the inexhaustible desire to callback to and remember the original trilogy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens does not take the franchise anywhere new. It revels in the old ways, while presenting just enough new material to guarantee the endless supply of new movies we’re going to get over the next several years (decades?).

But at the very least, Han Solo and Chewbacca are pretty awesome.

Join me after the jump for my full review. Be warned, I really get to rambling a bit. And this is the SPOILER cut off. Read the rest at your own risk.

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