Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Teen Titans #4
While showing a definite and more grounded improvement over the last issue, Teen Titans #4 still feels off when it comes to teen dialogue and interaction. A lot happens in this issue – from the team getting together and getting a name, to finally confronting Superboy – but it’s not all gelling as well as I’d like. Or ‘gellin’ like Magellan’ if that’s how you roll. At any rate, I can definitely appreciate what writer Scott Lobdell does in this issue because I definitely want to see a lot more of these teens just hanging out and getting to know one another. But I can’t really put my finger on why that doesn’t quite work.
Teen Titans #4
Maybe it’s because everything feels so rushed and kind of sloppy.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
Or maybe everything just feels forced. The same issues that have plagued this series continue here, but the specific actions and story points make up for that flakiness. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. continues to be a silly concept. The setting always seems very erratic. And this group of characters has yet to fully blend together, or feel anything other than forced together. I don’t think Lobdell found a very organic way to bring the team together. I don’t know if he came up with the members of the team, or if they were decided in some New 52 committee, but it’s like he had a list of characters he had to bring together and he just checked them off the list to ensure they were together by issue #4.
I just don’t get the feeling that this team is the team that belongs together, that this will be the Teen Titans of the new generation. But there’s still time to change my mind. The art, at least, remains phenomenal. Brett Booth is drawing beautiful, distinctive characters with great facial expressions and energetic movements. So at least good.
Spoilers after the jump.
TV Review: ‘The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe’
The great thing about the Steven Moffat-era Doctor Who Christmas specials is that they actually have something to do with Christmas. The earlier Russell T. Davies episodes only kind of took place on or near Christmas. Sure there were murderous Santa robots and Donna’s wedding reception was decorated for Christmas, but they lacked that special Christmas magic that Moffat captures so well as the show-runner. Not to mention the obvious homages to Christmas stories past. I already picked Moffat’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ episode as one of the best Christmas episodes ever on TV.
So it’s no surprise that the follow-up, ‘The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe’ is just as good!’
TV Rating: 4/5: Good!
What's in the box? Come and find out!
This episode contains a lot of the best parts of the Moffat and Smith-era Doctor Who. It’s whimsical, emotional and has some downright fantastic one-liners from the witty and banterish Doctor. It doesn’t reach the heights of the very best episodes, lacking in true character depth and badassery, but it’s still a very good episode. We even get a wonderful epilogue that ties the episode back into the regular series instead of just being a stand-alone Christmas episode. Paying homage to not just Narnia, but a lot of mystical, fictional realms, this episode has an adventure that is a lot like typical Doctor Who episodes. We’ve got a strange alien world, a ‘villain’ who isn’t what they initially seem and a death-defying race through time!
Plus the family element really grounds the episode and forms its emotional core. This wouldn’t be Doctor Who if we didn’t have one of those.
Follow me after the jump for a synopsis and more review of one very awesome Christmas special. And of course: Spoilers!
No seriously, full spoilers.
Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #5
Now this is more like it! We get some awesome Spider-Man action as Miles Morales finally, officially becomes the new Spider-Man. He’s got to pass through Spider-Woman, Nick Fury and Electro to do it, but Miles kicks ass with flying colors. And he’s funny, too! That’s almost a prerequisite for both Spider-Man and writer Brian Michael Bendis, but here it’s delightful. Miles isn’t Peter Parker, but it’s great to see that Spider-Man will still be witty.
Ultimate Spider-Man #5
If only the Ultimate Universe wasn’t such a crappy place these days.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
If Marvel sticks with the tradition of having 6-issue story arcs, then this was the penultimate chapter of Miles Morales’ origin story. Which means we’ve got one more issue to go to wrap this thing up in a bow. I wonder what’s going to happen. Is Miles going to get his own super-villain? Maybe we’ll finally see his parents again. Or maybe he’ll hang out with Aunt May for some reason. Either way, this was a good issue, it’s good to see Miles in his own costume and I’m definitely ready to see this young man spread his webs and fly.
Though I’d probably still make the better Spider-Man. Spoilers after the jump.
Review: X-Factor #229
The story of the ‘dead’ Jamie Madrox picks back up this issue, and it’s a doozy! We’re into a full-on science fiction story, as Madrox seems to be on some strange, interdimensional adventure. A far cry from the noir roots of this series, but I’ll gladly read any tale starring my favorite superhero. He’s not quite dead just yet, and learning his final fate as this story progresses has got me on the edge of my seat. Writer Peter David is promising new revelations about the nature of Madrox’s duplication powers. And while I’m lukewarm to that idea, I’m excited for a good story.
X-Factor #229
And this one is pretty damn good one so far.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
What we have here is an alternate reality tale to introduce us to the idea of Madrox’s interdimensional adventure. Familiar characters appear, but everything is just so slightly different because it’s an alternate reality. Madrox is lost and confused, but he’s adapting and figuring it out. One great thing about this issue is that writer Peter David is able to focus on just one character, and the narrative really benefits. There are a lot of questions raised, and a lot of strangeness. Somehow Layla might even be involved. Nothing is spelled out clearly quite yet. But I’m confident we’re going to get answers in this story. It’s just going to be a nail-biter going from issue to issue until the end.
I hope Madrox is still alive by the end, and that he hasn’t been changed into an unrecognizable character. Is it so wrong for me to want to keep my favorite comic book character around?
Spoilers after the jump.
Review: The Ray #1
I can only assume that The Ray was a rejected idea for the New 52 back in September. Coming so soon after the big reboot, and resigned to just a mini-series, I imagine that some editor somewhere liked the idea enough to give it a lifeline. Which is fine. I’ll never oppose adding more comics to the shelf. But The Ray #1 is so bland, mediocre and generic that I can see why it was rejected. The book lacks a hook, lacks any creative or interesting idea to make it worthwhile.
The Ray #1
So if you like your superheroes ordinary and plain, The Ray is the book for you.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
That’s not to say The Ray is a bad read. It’s a perfectly fine comic book about a brand new superhero and his origin story. Though the concept isn’t new. The character of ‘the Ray’ has been around since 1940, and DC had a C-list character running around with his own series back in the 90s and up until the New 52 reboot. For this story, though, writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are starting from scratch. The light-based powers are the same, but we’ve got a new hero, a new supporting cast, a new status quo and new villains. Unfortunately, Gray and Palmiotti did little to capture my attention.
I picked up The Ray #1 on a whim. I like the costume, it was a light comics buying week and I thought ‘what the heck?’. While I’m not disappointed that I bought the comic, I don’t know if I’ll buy anymore. The Ray just isn’t a very bright idea.
Spoilers after the jump.
Henchman-4-Hire 