Category Archives: Reviews
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 8/24/13
For the first time in a very long time, DC Comics owns the week! The New 52 comics have been in a downward spiral for me for a long time. But this week, they score a one-two punch of success. For awhile now, I’ve been worried that comics just don’t reach me anymore, that everything is just generic superhero filler, that nobody is trying anymore. But between Batman and Nightwing #23 and Wonder Woman #23, DC shows me twice in one week that somebody still cares. Characters still matter.
There are a lot of good comics this week. Superior Spider-Man puts Phil Urich front and center, so you know I’m happy about that. Avengers and Justice League Dark continue their respective crossovers, though neither one is particularly special. And by popular request, I decided to pick up the latest issue of Thunderbolts to give that another try. Not too shabby. But the week belongs to DC. Wonder Woman easily snatches up another Comic Book of the Week.
Did we know she could go Super Saiyan?
Though Batman and Nightwing (or as it should have been called, Batman and Alfred), isn’t far behind.
Comic Reviews: Avengers #18, Batman and Nightwing #23, Batwoman #23, Justice League Dark #23, Superior Spider-Man #16, Superman Unchained #3, Thunderbolts #14, and Wonder Woman #23.
Review: X-Factor #261
The penultimate issue of X-Factor is upon us, and rather than do anything for the larger story, writer Peter David just says goodbye to Monet and Darwin. He checks two more characters off his list, leaving us, next issue, with presumably his fond farewell to Jamie Madrox. I’m comfortable with that. I’m saving all my tears for that issue. Because I’ve never been a particularly big fan of Monet, and especially not Darwin, so this issue doesn’t hold any special meaning for me. It’s a nice little comic, and maybe if the series weren’t over it would hold a little more weight. But for now, it’s just a quick, done-in-one goodbye to two random characters. And sadly, I think artist Neil Edwards is getting a little rushed. Hopefully he saved his best work for the final issue.
X-Factor #261
X-Factor #261 is a quaint little comic that says goodbye to Monet and Darwin by hooking them up for no apparent reason. See ya later, kiddos!
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
Darwin has always been an odd character in X-Factor. PAD deserves a lot of credit for doing anything with the character, but his attempts to turn Darwin into a real boy were never nearly as successful as what he did with Layla Miller. Those two characters actually have a lot in common. Both were created by hot shot writers to serve as plot devices in their big stories – Layla was created by Brian Michael Bendis to be the dues ex machina in House of M, and Darwin was created by Ed Brubaker to be pointless in Deadly Genesis. And both were pretty much abandoned by their hot shot creators almost immediately, left for other writers to play around with. That PAD grabbed them both for X-Factor says a lot about him and the series.
But whereas PAD had some amazing ideas in store for Layla Miller (“I know things”), he kind of just plugged Darwin into X-Factor with no real purpose. The guy randomly joined up alongside Longshot in a Secret Invasion crossover, and stuck around for a split second before taking off to parts unknown for more than a year. That PAD ever bothered to bring Darwin back in the lead up to Hell on Earth War was strange enough, but to say goodbye like this? It just doesn’t really jibe in any meaningful way. PAD could never make Darwin work, and he still doesn’t succeed in this issue. Darwin is as bland and boring as anyone can be.
Monet fairs a little better. PAD has always had fun with the character, and her personal journey over the course of the series has been rocky and dramatic. I kind of wish he’d come up with something better for her to do in the end, and it’s kind of a shame that she got saddled with Darwin for her finale. The two characters have zero chemistry together…though that’s probably entirely Darwin’s fault.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 8/17/13
This was a big week for comics. Positively huge! And I’m not just talking about my pull list, which was equally as massive. I mean we’ve got the first issue of Infinity, Marvel’s next Big Event comic. We all know that Age of Ultron stank like rotting socks. So might Jonathan Hickman save the day with a big space and Thanos-themed event? Maybe! But what about the Superior Spider-Man side of things? There’s a two-part Superior Team-Up/Scarlet Spider crossover that’s a real treat. That’s big news.
Not only that, but we’ve got the end of the first big storyline in Thor: God of Thunder, as well as the start of a new storyline in Fearless Defenders. Yep, I decided to pick up Fearless Defenders again! And all of these are just the comics I decided to review this week. There were a ton of good issues I had to leave off due to time and space.
There were a lot of good comics this week, though mostly average to good, I’m afraid. I still think I’m suffering from some kind of comic book burnout. Nothing has really captured my attention in a long while. Everything just seems generally good. Oh well. Maybe it’s just something I ate.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Infinity #1. It wasn’t the best comic I read this week, but it pulls off a successful first issue for a Big Event. Of course, that’s what I said about the first part of Trinity War, and we all know how that’s turning out…
I love the cat Skrull
Comic Reviews: Astro City #3, Fearless Defenders #8, Infinity #1, Justice League of American #7, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #2, Scarlet Spider #20, Thor: God of Thunder #11 and Wolverine and the X-Men #34.
Review: Kick-Ass 2
This movie really kicks ass! No, seriously, I’m not trying to be cute. I don’t see how you could think — oh wait, yeah, I see it now. Funny. No, no, I get it. Because the movie is called Kick-Ass 2. Yeah, I totally get it. But seriously though, Kick-Ass 2 rocks! I had high hopes going into this film because the trailers have been amazing and I loved the first Kick-Ass. But this has been a summer of disappointment (*cough, Man of Steel, cough*) so maybe I was a little worried. But no need to fear. Kick-Ass 2 is just as exciting, badass, raunchy and emotionally fulfilling as the first film. Clearly there’s a lot of swearing, violence and bodily fluids, but Kick-Ass 2 is that kind of movie, and that makes for a very fun film.
Kick-Ass 2 easily lives up to the excitement of the first film, building a bigger world of superheroes and pushing the heroes’ journeys to all the right levels of awesomeness. But you probably shouldn’t try any of this at home.
Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great!
Kick-Ass 2 succeeds in taking the first film and expanding on everything. There world of superheroes gets bigger, with more regular folks putting on masks and costumes. Evil gets bigger, with the first real life super-villains. Even Kick-Ass himself gets bigger when he actually focuses on working out and learning how to fight. And the stakes are bigger than ever. People die. People we care about get hurt. People question why the hell they’re even doing this in the first place. The film does include several huge action scenes, ones that go beyond the simplicity ordinary people dressing up like superheroes, but that can be forgiven. This is still a movie, after all, not a documentary.
If you liked the first Kick-Ass, then I think you’ll love it’s sequel. Original director Matthew Vaughn is gone, replaced by Jeff Wadlow, but you won’t be able to tell the difference. These are the same characters inhabiting the same world. This is the next chapter in the lives of Dave Lizewski, Mindy Macready and the rest of these lovable goofballs. And lovable is indeed correct. Donald Faison from Scrubs plays Dr. Gravity, and he is amazing! As is Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars-and-Stripes. Really, all the new characters are a lot of fun, even the bad guys.
Join me after the jump for the full review. There will be some SPOILERS for the movie. And a tip to those who haven’t seen it: there is a scene after the credits, but it’s not that great.
Review: Saga #13
Saga‘s back! Everybody rejoice! After however many long months, one of the best comics out there is finally back to brighten our doorsteps. Saying that might make me sound less objective as a reviewer, but to hell with that. I’m not so much a reviewer right now as a sharer of great comics, and Saga – by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples – is great comics. Just check out the cover; says right there at the top: Eisner Aware winner for ‘Best Series’. Clearly I’m not the only one loving themselves some Saga. Nor should I be. If you’ve ever wanted to branch out from superhero comics, go find Saga. It’s good, quality, exciting entertainment.
Saga #13
Saga stands a chance of being as good as – if not better than – Vaughn’s previous masterpiece Y: The Last Man. Saga is that good, and it still feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface of where this series will go and what it has to offer. But enough rambling, let’s get to Saga #13.
Comic Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
This issue actually takes place prior to Saga #12, when Prince Robot IV confronted author D. Oswald Heist on the planet Quietus – with our lovely little family unit hiding in the attic. Saga #13 tells the story of the family arriving on Quietus, as well as giving updates to what everyone else is up to, including a few new characters with their own subplot. Let’s hope it’s a good one. So the issue is pretty much just moving the pieces on the board around to get ready for the next chapter. And it’s easy to see why Vaughn didn’t want to end on this story, but instead chose the story of Saga #12 for his cliffhanger. Smart man, that Brian K. Vaughn.
The reasons I love Saga are at the forefront of Saga #13. It’s not the series’ strongest issue, not by a long shot, but it’s definitely a solid example of Saga‘s quality. This is a story about people first, militaristic space aliens second. Saga is the story of a young couple and their new baby on the run from the government, and in a larger sense, on the run from prejudice. I’m no academic. I’m not the guy to write an epic, analytical essay about Saga and all its many themes. But I can recognize the inherent humanity in this story about a goat man making sweet love to an insect girl, and the adorable half-breed baby that popped out.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Henchman-4-Hire 