Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Justice League: Doom
‘Tower of Babel’ was better. But then the book is always better than the movie adaptation. Still, the latest release from DC Comics’ animated movies is an alright film, with a killer ending. Justice League: Doom features great animation, solid characters and a fun plot. The problem is that it’s kind of boring and run-of-the-mill. This could have been a made-for-TV movie of the Justice League cartoon from a few years ago. There’s just nothing special about it, nothing that warrants its existence in the animated movie library.
But who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? A Justice League movie is a Justice League movie.
Movie rating: 3/5: Alright!
Unless it’s a stupid Justice League movie. There were a lot of times during this film where I was rolling my eyes at just how stupid some of the ideas and plot points were. The villains, especially, were acting ridiculous, and some of their plans were downright dumb. These are the people Vandal Savage has hired to rid the world of the Justice League? These are the plans they come up with? But all of that foolishness is undercut by some pretty great characterization, especially on the part of the Justice League. They look fantastic, and the animation is top notch.
The ending is spectacular, really getting to the hearts of these characters. The problem, though, is that this is a stand alone movie. These character moments aren’t going to pay off anywhere else. There are aesthetic similarities with previous animated movies, so perhaps this is the same Justice League as those movies. But still, it’s mostly stand alone.
So what was the point?
Review: Teen Titans #6
Here we have a weird little story that misses the chance to have some meaningful downtime and instead introduces and dispatches a weird new super-villain. What could have been a good character-building opportunity as the Titans lick their wounds instead becomes crammed with silliness and nonsense, and only a small trace of what I would have liked. A guest appearance by Static Shock is utterly wasted, and Skittles returns mostly for the hell of it.
Teen Titans #6
Teen Titans #6 is a big missed opportunity, but it’s not a bad comic.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
This issue would have been the perfect opportunity for writer Scott Lobdell to slow down and flesh out his characters. He’s doing an OK job in that regard so far, but I would still prefer a lot more work on who these teenagers are and why they’re willing to hang out with each other. They just got their butts kicked in their first superhero fight, but all of them seem to shrug it off like no big deal. None of them seem to be emotionally effected by Superboy’s ass-kicking attack. They just roll right on to the next plot point involving Kid Flash’s out of control powers.
Instead of an issue focusing entirely on the Titans, we get a several new supporting or guest characters. None of them are very interesting.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #7
The latest issue of Ultimate Spider-Man is pretty much perfect. It’s an absolute gem of an issue, propelling the story of Miles Morales forward in fun and rewarding ways, while adding more depth to his supporting cast. Depth that I have felt was severely lacking. Writer Brian Michael Bendis is crafting a delightful saga, and the art of Chris Samnee – which I didn’t like last issue – is no longer a hindrance. He’s not Sara Pichelli, but who is?
Ultimate Spider-Man #7
But with all that said, I can’t bring myself to give this issue a perfect score.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
It’s as close to great as a comic book can get, but there is nothing in Ultimate Spider-Man #7 that rises to greatness. It’s missing that magical spark, that je ne sais quoi that would truly make it sparkle. Instead, it’s just a perfectly fine issue of the Miles Morales saga. It’s got humor, it’s got action, it’s got a fun look at a new hero trying out his powers and it’s got a fantastic cliffhanger. But for me as a reviewer, a comic needs that special something extra to get a perfect 5 out of 5. I’m just not seeing it yet.
But still, fantastic issue. Join me for further review and synopsis after the jump!
Review: X-Factor #232
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! The end of ‘They Keep Killing Madrox’ is here and it’s left me a very happy comic book geek! I won’t spoil the surprise until I actually get to the review, but suffice to say all my fears from the past few months have been put to rest. Writer Peter David did not shoot me in the face with sadness. Instead he has brought joy and happiness back into the world!
X-Factor #232
Sing with me, fans of Multiple Man, at the glory of this issue!
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
That is to say, it’s not a great issue. Heck, it’s probably not even a good issue. But the ending bumped it up a notch. Like last issue, with Caplok vs. Iron Man, we basically spend the entire issue hanging out with Jamie Madrox on some strange, foreign dimension. He meets a new group of strange, altered characters, with the issue based almost exclusively around those characters. Once again, Madrox is just along for the ride in his own starring story. That sucks! David is writing such a great Madrox, but he doesn’t have anything for the character to do. We also don’t get anymore answers to…anything really. No better idea what Madrox is dealing with, nor any hints about the ‘truth’ of his powers.
Still, good enough read, with a fantastic ending! I’m one happy comic book fan. Spoilers and synopsis after the jump!
Review: Scarlet Spider #2
The second issue of this new Scarlet Spider series lives up to the awesomeness of the first. Kaine is badass and very much still in line as the Anti-Hero Spider-Man. There is one little hiccup towards the end, which I’ll discuss later. But it’s safe to say that the book has a good start. There is no second-issue-slump. Writer Chris Yost continues his world building efforts, and I hope he gets a chance to really flesh them out.
Scarlet Spider #2
Because frankly, there’s nothing very special about Scarlet Spider.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
I know that sounds negative, but it’s true! There’s no hook to this book. There’s no catchy or flashy gimmick, no particular reason for it to exist. It’s just Badass Spider-Man being badass – in Houston of all places! So I’m worried that Scarlet Spider is just not going to keep an audience. It’s written like a generic superhero title, one that just happens to cling to the Spider-Man family of books to stay afloat. I’m sure a large portion of its audience are people like me, who are big fans of Kaine and the very concept of a ‘Scarlet Spider’ series. But that audience alone can’t sustain a book.
Yost needs to come up with a very compelling reason why people should keep reading. Spoilers and synopsis to follow!
