Category Archives: Reviews
Review: All-New X-Factor #3
I need to talk about the cover of All-New X-Factor #3 for a moment. I don’t usually discuss covers in my reviews, but this needs to be said, because cats in comics is kind of my kryptonite (as well as Youtube videos of cats who sound like they’re talking). I dig the unique look of the All-New X-Factor covers. But this cover shows Gambit snuggling with a bunch of cats, and the quote, “I’m their freaking king” above his head. This led me to believe that X-Factor was going to meet an army of cats, and they were going to really like Gambit, and therefore he was going to declare himself the ‘King of Cats’! BUT IT DOESN’T HAPPEN!
All-New X-Factor #3
I kind of want to demand my money back. And I want the ‘King of the Cats’ to become a thing immediately.
All-New X-Factor #3 shows a bit of improvement over the first two issues, but not by much. The characters and their relationships are still paper thin, the premise is still a bit uncomfortable, and writer Peter David hasn’t found anything really interesting for anyone to do (other than crack crappy jokes). But somehow, this issue at least felt like it was put together a little better than the first two.
Comic Rating: 5/10 – Alright.
At three issues in, I see signs that some of my concerns with this comic might even out. PAD is clearly trying to build up the relationships between his main characters, but he’s still working with a bunch of blank slates, so there’s just not much he can do yet. I get why Gambit doesn’t trust Quicksilver, but the characters have never had anything to do with one another, so the mistrust just rings hollow. And Polaris has been such a non-player for the past few years that she doesn’t really have any sort of relationship with anything, whether it be her teammates or the Marvel Universe as a whole.
Also, when has Gambit been a crazy cat person? That cover isn’t about Gambit becoming King of the Cats, but instead its about how Gambit has brought three pet cats to live with him at Serval Industries. When did that happen? Has Gambit always had a bunch of pet cats and I’ve just never noticed?
Or is it another bit of plot that PAD has pulled over from Gambit’s recently cancelled solo series? I hope the lot of you were reading that series, because X-Factor’s second big mission is mired in characters and plot points from it. Of course, considering the series was cancelled due to low sales, I think we can all agree nobody was reading it.
But PAD forges ahead anyway! Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/8/14
What a fun comic book week this turned out to be! Four Marvel comics debuted their new #1 issues this week, keeping the All-New Marvel NOW! going strong. Will they be as good as Black Widow? Or will they tank like…some other comic that was so bad I can’t even remember what it was. You’ll have to read on to find out!
Or I could just tell you now. I think Loki: Agent of Asgard, Wolverine, Punisher and Ms. Marvel were all good comics, well made and with some direction in mind, but only Ms. Marvel stood head and shoulders above the rest as a legitimately exciting new series. Out of the four, that’s the only one I’m definitely going to be buying from here on out. Ms. Marvel lived up to all the hype and easily won Comic Book of the Week!
My fan fiction was never this good
As for the rest, it’s probably a matter of taste, and I’m sure other people will love those comics much more than I did. I’m sure people will keep buying Wolverine comics no matter what I say.
Comic Reviews: Forever Evil #5, Loki: Agent of Asgard #1, Ms. Marvel #1, Punisher #1, Wolverine #1.
Review: Saga #18
As finales go, this one was a bit anti-climactic. As cliffhangers go, this one was fantastic! We come, once again, to another Saga finale. After every major volume, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples take a few months off to get caught up on the next volume. And for art as good as Staples’, I’m more than willing to give the Saga team some time off. Fortunately for us, they don’t end on too much of a nail-biter, but you better believe I can’t wait for the next volume after that last page. Plot lines get wrapped up, characters are forever changed, and the world of Saga just got infinitely bigger, my friends.
Saga #18
Saga #18 feels like it should be a major turning point in the ongoing adventure, but something about the action just seems a bit anti-climactic, especially considering how much actually happens. Regardless, the issue is as bombastic as they come, and that final page will leave you squealing for joy.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
The cliffhanger in Saga #18 is unlike any we’ve seen in the series to date, but it’s so simple and obvious, I can’t believe I didn’t see it coming from a long ways off. It definitely took me by surprise. I won’t spoil it until we get to the synopsis, but this opens up the world of Saga in so many ways. It makes Saga a whole new series, an even more exciting series! I know I say it all the time that I can’t wait to see what Vaughn comes up with next, and trust me, this cliffhanger makes that more pertinent than ever before. But no spoilers until later.
The issue itself is an exciting one. The fight that started last issue picks up right away, and nearly every character gets a chance to shine. We also get the first encounter between Gwendolyn and her ex in this series, as well as Marco’s new flame. It’s a fun moment, as good as I could have hoped, considering how long Vaughn has been building towards it. The characters have always been the biggest draw of Saga, and Vaughn handles them well in this tense moment. The issue is strong, but I can’t help but feel that some of Vaughn’s choices for some of the characters weren’t the best. The Will does not fare well at all.
We’ll see what it all leads to in a couple of months. For now, join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/1/14
Happy Groundhog’s Day Eve, everybody! Are you all ready for the groundhog to pop his head out of the hole to look for his shadow? Do you international readers celebrate Groundhog’s Day? It sounds terribly American. Nonetheless, it’s happening, and I’m excited. I might even break out my Groundhog’s Day pennant that I don’t actually own.
It also feels like there’s something else important going down this weekend, but I can’t put my finger on it…
At any rate, let’s talk comics! This week, I picked up new issues of Aquaman, Spider-Man and Thor, and decided to take another peek at Red Lanterns. Feels like I haven’t checked in with them in awhile. But all of those titles were blown away by the latest Annual issue of Batman and Robin. Peep your eyes on this one, Robin fans, it might be the greatest Robin love letter we’re ever going to get from DC Comics. It easily wins Comic Book of the Week.
Especially if they kill off Dick Grayson, those meanies!
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #27, Batman and Robin Annual #2, Red Lanterns #27, Superior Spider-Man #26, and Thor: God of Thunder #18.
Review: Teen Titans #27
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. Whatever vestiges of quality that Teen Titans still possessed have been culled from the comic. Reading Teen Titans #27, it’s easy to see why DC Comics is canceling the series straight out instead of giving it a new creative team. The only chance these characters or this team have in the New 52 going forward is to slash and burn everything Scott Lobdell cast his gaze upon. DC must rip the black, shriveled heart from this beast and burn it in the fires of effigy.
Teen Titans #27
Teen Titans is an embarrassment. It’s a comic book for idiots. Teen Titans is for readers who don’t care about characters, consistency or common sense, and love it when writers poke fun at their audience.
Comic Rating: 2/10 – Very Bad.
I am not a comic book purist by any means. I am a curmudgeon in many ways, but I am very open to change, and embraced the possibilities when the New 52 launched. I may not be happy with the disastrous alterations s to Tim Drake’s origin, but I’m open to the idea of altering it. And I was never a diehard Teen Titans fan, unwilling to accept any changes to a favorite comic. By all means, DC, try something new. But every change Lobdell has brought upon this team and these characters seems personally designed to ruin everything anybody ever loved about them.
If you had any love for Bart Allen or Kid Flash in any of their forms, then your only hope is to look to the past. The New 52 does not care about your love for the character.
But that’s not the worst thing about Teen Titans #27. The problem with this issue is the same problem that has plagues this series from the beginning: bad writing. I don’t have enough experience with comic history to know if the tropes and styles Lobdell has applied to Teen Titans were more prominent in the 90s, when he was a bigger deal. All I know is that they don’t work in the 21st century comic book industry. These characters do not have heart. These characters do not have consistency from one issue to the next. These are colorful, vaguely familiar blobs who float along in an ether of bad storytelling.
What should have been a series about real teenagers coming together to care about one another and fight side-by-side is instead a series about a bunch of meaningless, interchangeable action figures dancing to a plot that seems to be made up as it goes along.
Join me after the jump to revel in this abomination.
Henchman-4-Hire 