Category Archives: Reviews
Review: The Defenders #1
Ah, the Defenders, Marvel’s other superhero team. While the Avengers are the ones who get the most publicity, the Defenders have their place in a lots of fans’ hearts and minds. The team is actually kind of quaint. Which is probably the main drawing point behind writer Matt Fraction’s new take on the Defenders, which launched its first issue this week. Led by Doctor Strange, Defenders #1 is basically just a ‘gathering of heroes’ issue as he puts his team together to face a monstrous threat! A sense of whimsy and humor is at the forefront of the issue, though its not without a little action and adventure. The art of husband and wife team Terry and Rachel Dodson is as amazing as always, and is a huge boon to the first issue.
The Defenders #1
So overall, we’re looking at a pretty good start to what could be a very good series.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
While the Avengers may be the ones getting a movie next year, the Defenders have been around almost as long. But whereas the Avengers was always a solid team, the Defenders is usually made up of more independent heroes who just happen to team up for the sake of a bigger fight. The team is usually composed of B and C-List obscure characters like Valkyrie or Gargoyle. But the most famous members of the Defenders are the four that Fraction reunites for this series: Doctor Strange, Namor, Silver Surfer and the Incredible Hulk, as badass a team as you’re ever likely to get.
Like I said, this is mostly the story of how Doc Strange gathers together his team and a few new faces. Most of the characters get a little internal monologue, so it looks like everybody’s going to get some focus instead of this just being Doctor Strange & Friends. Fraction is clearly having fun with this series, and I’m more than willing to join him for the ride.
Spoilers after the jump.
Review: Punisher #6
A healthy dose of action and murdery excitement kicks the Punisher series up a notch. Writer Greg Rucka finally answered my call to do something with the book, but there are still a lot of holes and problems with the story. The same sorts of problems that have been ongoing, like a shocking reliance on the recap page to tell us important information, an almost characterless version of the Punisher and a story that jumps ahead rather than progress naturally.
Punisher #6
Still, the Punisher actually punishing people is a good read.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
The biggest development in this issue is that The Bride has finally gotten involved in the overall story. The problem with that is it’s an incredible leap from where she was last issue to this issue, and an even larger leap from where she was only two issues ago. It’s easy to understand her motivation, but I don’t think we have been properly shown her mental progression to reach this point. We also haven’t been shown nearly anything about the bad guys in this story, called The Exchange. And that is a very big problem when reading a Punisher story.
I think it’s crucial in a Punisher story that you really want to see the bad guys get punished. Whether it’s movies, comics, TV or any medium, having a fully-realized antagonist is key. Think of all the great villains you love to hate. Or the villains you can really identify with, who think they’re doing the right thing, like Magneto. These are villains you can get behind because they are well-fleshed out. It’s why the hero’s eventual victory over them has such an emotional impact. And it’s moreso with the Punisher, because hated or beloved, that villain is going to die by his hand.
But with the Exchange, I just don’t care about them. Nor do I care that they and their faceless henchmen will die. I stand by my rating that this issue was a good read, but I have a lot to nitpick after the jump.
Review: X-Factor #228
The fallout from Multiple Man’s shocking murder hits the X-Factor family hard in this follow-up issue. Unfortunately, this is a shining example of how too many characters is hurting the book. What should be an emotional issue as X-Factor deals with both the death of their friend and the still-rampaging villain is instead a juggling of a dozen or so characters. Nobody gets more than a few panels to express themselves, and they have to choose between Madrox or Bloodbath, or sometimes squeezing feelings on both into one moment.
X-Factor #228
This robs Madrox’s death from any true emotional fallout. For a book based on character and team interaction, I was hoping for more of both.
Comic review: 3/5: Alright.
I suppose this could be considered a good issue. It’s solidly written and well-paced, providing a suitable climax for the Bloodbath arc. The new villain continues to be both fun and menacing, while the team has some good moments. But like I said earlier, it’s missing any true character-based reaction to Madrox’s death. X-Factor has always been more about its characters than overall stories. They’re something of a family, or at least a group of friends hanging out. And while the various members are clearly upset that Madrox is dead, none of it rings on any deeper emotional level.
The massive cast of characters leaves little room for any character depth. And that’s a damn shame. At least the cover kicks all kind of ass.
Review: Teen Titans #3
The new Teen Titans series just isn’t clicking with me. I loved the first issue, but it’s been downhill ever since. The antagonist is hyped beyond credibility and the heroes, though individually fun to read, are saddled with some less than stellar dialogue. Issue #3 continues the downward spiral for a story that’s all over the place, features some fairly odd moments and finally introduces us to every member of the team – though they’re not a team yet. I think part of the problem is that I might be expecting a different sort of comic.
Teen Titans #3
I think I want a serious Teen Titans comic, whereas we’re getting a light and fluffy tale.
Comic rating: 2/5: bad.
Teen Titans is bright, fun and cheerful. The characters are peppy, especially newly introduced Bunker, and they literally seem to be bouncing all over the place and against each other with energy and excitement. But that’s just not clicking with me. I’m not enjoying it. The comic isn’t solidifying into a good story yet. It’s stretched too thin, in my opinion. Writer Scott Lobdell telling a harmless story about harmless characters who are not in any real danger, yet can’t stop talking about what danger they [i]think[/i] they’re in. As I said in my review of issue #2, the antagonist organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is just too ridiculous at this point, and the character just can’t stop talking about N.O.W.H.E.R.E.
I think what this book is missing is heart. Where’s Ma-Ti of Captain Planet when you need him? Spoilers to follow.
Review: Punisher #5
Much like last issue, Punisher #5 continues the story at a snail’s pace without any real momentous happenings or interactions between the cast. Couple that with an incredible leap of 100 days in time from the last issue, and I’m starting to get bored. Nothing is happening except for a surface-level exploration of the characters. And nothing at all is happening with the Punisher himself. He remains a nearly-mute specter who may or may not be killing criminals.
Punisher #5
When is something going to happen!?
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
Though again, like last issue, I’ll say that it’s a well-constructed comic. The writing is solid and the art is sufficiently moody. The wintery snow effects are amazing. So it’s a well put-together comic, but that doesn’t guarantee a good comic. Nothing happens in this issue. Nothing of significance at least. None of the characters have any breakthroughs. No one has any particularly memorable lines of dialogue. Nobody does anything that will be remembered next issue. Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I’m missing some important subtext or something. But I’m pretty sure that writer Greg Rucka is sacrificing momentum for mood-building.
And that just doesn’t make for a good comic. Not that I’m going to stop reading just yet, but I’m starting to consider dropping the Punisher. We’ll see. Spoilers after the jump.
Henchman-4-Hire 