Category Archives: Reviews
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/31/14
Whether it’s to make up for the massive pile of reviews last week, or maybe just plain old laziness, my stack was a bit shorter this week. Less work for me, right gang? Who doesn’t love to slack off a little bit during the week. Maybe kick up the heels and watch that new Axe Cop cartoon? I know I do!
Though I was apparently hard at work elsewhere on the Internet. You can check out my reviews for Inhuman #2 and Deadpool #29 by clicking those links. Both comics were pretty bad. I just can’t get into Deadpool‘s humor, and Inhuman continues to be a spectacularly worthless comic. If all of Marvel’s hopes and dreams depend on turning Inhumans into the new mutants, they are pretty screwed – or maybe we’re pretty screwed, because there’s probably nothing stopping Marvel from just bulldozing over what we want in favor of what they want. Did you hear about the Fantastic Four?
Bad comics continue over at DC this week, with the worst issue of Batman Eternal yet. If there’s anyone else out there in comic book land who also can’t stand what they’re doing with the Gotham Police in Batman Eternal, please let me know. I hope I’m not the only one pulling their hair out.
Fortunately, this week also saw a new issue of Ms. Marvel, and that fills me with overwhelming joy. Kamala Khan is just too awesome. Ms. Marvel #4 easily wins Comic Book of the Week for its humor, its heart and, finally, its superheroics. Our little Kamala is growing up!
The look on her face brings me nothing but joy
Comic Reviews: Avengers #30, Batman #31, Batman Eternal #8, Ms. Marvel #4 and Nightwing #30.
Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past
I need to stop worrying about new X-Men movies. FOX knows what they’re doing. Ahead of X-Men: First Class, I thought it was going to just be a terrible, desperate attempt to hold on to the franchise – but it is now my favorite X-Movie. And I thought X-Men: Days of Future Past was going to be a mess of time travel and too many characters. Boy was I wrong about that one. X-Men: Days of Future Past is an enjoyable X-Flick, with a solid cast, an important plot and some quality, unique mutant action.
I wasn’t as blown away as some critics have been, but consider me a firm believer that the X-Men are in good hands.
Movie Rating: 7/10 – Good.
I think what Days of Future Past lacked, at least for me, was a uniquely X-Men story element to grab onto. There were some great super-powers on display, especially Quicksilver and Blink, but they were minor elements of the much larger, less captivating film. Instead of starring the actual X-Men, Days of Future Past was about the trio of Wolverine, Xavier and young Hank McCoy running around trying to catch up to the rest of the movie. The really compelling characters, the ones who drive the plot, are Mystique and maybe Magneto, but both of them are relegated to side character status.
Mystique may do something evil, and Magneto will definitely do something evil, and it’s up to Wolverine and his Amazing Friends to try and get there in time to stop it. Compare that to X-Men: First Class, which had the recruitment and training of the new students, the formation of the X-Men, and the evil Hellfire Club, all while really focusing on the Xavier/Magneto friendship. First Class had a lot going for it in terms of mutants and the X-Men, but Days of Future Past is just a movie about the heroes racing to save the day. Fortunately, it has some fun on the way there.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is not a disappointment, by any means. It’s a solid, entertaining entry into the X-Men franchise. But for me, I would have liked a bit more Adamantium on the claws – though not literally.
Join me after the jump for the full review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 5/24/14
I don’t know about you guys and gals, but I’m still too broken up about the Edgar Wright/Ant-Man news! He was supposed to be the Chosen One! Talk about a bad way to start Memorial Day weekend. Fortunately, I wrote these reviews before I heard the news, so let’s get right to them, shall we?!
The biggest deal this week was the finale of Forever Evil…but the delays definitely hurt the book. I feel it kind of limped across the finish line, overfilling the issue with ‘cool moments’ to try and compensate. Fortunately, the Justice League follow-up was much better. On the Marvel side of things, we’ve got the second issue of Original Sin! Or what I like to call, issue #1.5. Yeah.
Much more fortunately, I snagged a copy of Lumberjanes #2 in time to review it, so that’s exciting! And Comic of the Week goes to Uncanny X-Men #21, especially for its awesome handling of Magneto and Blob!
The bromance is over
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Factor #8, Amazing Spider-Man #2, Batman Eternal #7, Forever Evil #7, Justice League #30, Lumberjanes #2, Original Sin #2, Sinestro #2, Uncanny X-Men #21.
Review: Saga #19
Back for one issue and already you’re breaking my heart again, Saga. You’re a twisted, cruel, evil comic that toys with my heart strings like a child playing with ants! I haven’t read a cliffhanger ending this inhumane since you nearly killed Lying Cat all those issues ago! Why must you destroy me like this? Why must you be so damn good, only to kill everything I love?!
Saga #19
We’re talking ‘Red Wedding’ levels of sadness here, folks. Prepare yourselves for the return of Saga!
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I’m as pleased as anybody to have Saga back in my hands. Saga, by writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples, is one of the best comics being published today. It’s thoroughly enjoyable, features a universe that never stops sprawling on and on, and is probably the most deeply emotional comic book I’m reading these days. I don’t even feel this deeply about Multiple Man, my favorite superhero. The story of Hazel and her family is simply beautiful. In less than 19 issues, and Vaughn and Staples have crafted such a wonderfully warm and touching cast of characters. I was in love with them from issue #1. And I’m so glad they’re back.
But man, my heart is in tatters.
From the end of the last volume to this new issue, we’ve skipped ahead a few months or years, depending on how long it takes for baby Hazel to grow into toddler Hazel. I don’t know babies. But she’s walking and talking these days, and that’s going to be a delight to behold, I can already tell. Saga #19 is mostly spent getting us all up to speed with how things are and what the family unit has been up to for the past few months. They’re hunkered down on a safe planet, Hazel is growing up, Alana got a weird job, and everybody’s kind of getting on everybody else’s nerves – typical family stuff. So it’s a light, scene-setting issue that showcases Saga‘s usual level of enjoyable storytelling and character building.
Until a final page that will gut you.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Godzilla
As I walked out of the theater after seeing the new Godzilla film, it occurred to me that there is a very big difference between ‘monster movies’ and ‘Godzilla’ movies: in Godzilla movies, He’s on our side. The original Godzilla film from the 50s was a monster movie. The American remake in the 90s was a monster movie. But all of the classics, the films that made Godzilla a household name, they’re Godzilla movies. They were about this larger than life monster standing tall, kicking ass and fighting the good fight. And that’s the kind of magic that director Gareth Edwards has brought back to the King of the Monsters.
The new Godzilla is an exhilarating film once the Big Guy arrives in all his glory. It takes a little while to get there, and the human element of the film is a little underdeveloped, but the climactic battle in the streets and skyscrapers of San Francisco more than makes up for the long wait.
Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great.
If I were to really look at the new film closely, I would say that it is very underdeveloped. The human characters, the monsters, the plot; none of it gets very deep, emotional or philosophical. About two-thirds into the film, I was ready to write it off as simply ‘good’ or just generally enjoyable. But then the finale kicks into high gear, and all of those concerns wash away. Edwards brings his Godzilla center stage after teasing him for the whole movie. There are snippets of the monster throughout the film, and you first see Godzilla in all his glory about halfway through. But it isn’t until the final battle that we really see Godzilla cut loose and become the movie monster we know and love – and it’s amazing! The final fight alone elevates this film into one of the best summer blockbusters in years.
Join me after the jump for a full review. There will be some SPOILERS, so tread carefully.
Henchman-4-Hire 