Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Teen Titans #2
Both dialogue and overall quality of the new Teen Titans series take a noticeable dip in the second issue, providing a lackluster follow-up to what I thought was a stellar first issue. We’re introduced to a rather ridiculous new member of the team and are once again faced with a baffling status quo about the ‘dangers’ of teenage superheroes. Part of the new DC relaunch was that the average person doesn’t trust superheroes anymore, which is fine, but there’s a stark disconnect between every other title I’ve read and the status quo of Teen Titans.
Teen Titans #2
At least Red Robin is still very cool.
Comic rating: 2/5: Bad.
Issue #2 introduces us to brand new superhero Skitter, who I am going to call Skittles from now on. At least until I get to the paragraph where I discuss what a stupid name ‘Skitter’ is for anybody. Teen Titans is still very much in team-building mode, with the B-story devoted to establishing the villain: the secret organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. I can’t stress enough what a ridiculous job writer Jeff Lobdell does in trying to give N.O.W.H.E.R.E. some villainous cred. This issue features roll-your-eyes bad dialogue, particularly when it comes to that group.
The issue also features roll-your-eyes bad dialogue between the main characters. Basically the issue is just troublesome to read. Which is really too bad. Spoilers after the jump.
Review: Punisher #4
The new Punisher series by Greg Rucka continues to be a good read, but we’re four issues in and we don’t know anything about the bad guy, the bride has yet to leave the hospital and the Punisher has barely interacted with the rest of the cast. Heck, this issue doesn’t even feature the bad guys. It’s essentially a recap issue, giving us the origin of the Punisher and sort of catching everyone up to the story so far. We’re only four issues in and we need a breather? I don’t think so.
Punisher #4
Four issues in, I want some Grade A badassery.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
That’s not to say Punisher #4 is a bad comic. It’s still a good read, with the mood, atmosphere and art still top notch for this kind of story. Rucka is still telling a grim and gritty Punisher tale, which is how it should be. It’s just that not enough is happening. He’s created a nice cast of supporting characters, all of whom seem more fleshed out than the Punisher, but he’s not doing enough with them. None of them seem to matter more than their particular role in the story, which is essentially just their job. Norah is a reporter. Clemons and Bolt are police detectives. That’s all these people seem to do, and it has yet to go any deeper.
I think Rucka’s trying to make the Punisher into something of a supernatural force of nature…but it’s not working. One problem is the art. The Punisher looks like a freakin’ cover model!
Review: Fear Itself #7
This is how the world is saved: not with a whimper, but with huge, bombastic combat and superheroes defeating the bad guys and slaying dragons. The finale to Fear Itself has all the makings of an epic conclusion…except for the continued lack of connectivity with the reader. I said it back in my review of the last issue, but Fear Itself will most likely be better read all in one sitting. This final issue moreso than the last one. We’re looking at just one big, giant fight scene followed by a few seemingly random epilogues. It’s fun to read, but it feels paper thin.
Fear Itself #7
Overall, I’d say Fear Itself is a success as a big, bad superhero brawl. But it’s nothing deeper than that.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
I suppose I liked Fear Itself. It was certainly better than most Big Event comics. It had action, it had strong characters…but it lacked heart. Even the death of a major Marvel characters is muted. It was all excited energy, and rarely took time to slow down and smell the roses. And since superhero comics are all about actions and fight scenes, Fear Itself succeeds as the biggest fight scene of the year. We have Thor slaying a dragon, the Avengers rallying for the final fight and a small moment where the common man lends a hand. There are even a few neat catch phrases thrown around.
So it’s a good comic book. I just wasn’t feeling it. There will be spoilers in this review.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #3
The heroism of Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man, kicks off with this issue! But poor, young Miles just isn’t ready for it. He’s only like 13, I think. He’s not a hero! He just wants to be a kid! I can really feel for the boy. Just because his best friend Ganke thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world (and it is) doesn’t mean Miles is ready to be a superhero.
But sometimes fate kills Peter Parker.
Ultimate Spider-Man #3
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
I really enjoyed this issue. The All-New Spider-Man is not yet blowing me away, but it’s a fantastic read. And writer Brian Michael Bendis finally kicks off some real spidery-heroics with this issue. Miles makes his first big play at being the new Spider-Man, even if he doesn’t have the costume yet. And even if it’s a scene straight out of both the first and second Spider-Man movies. (Wow, now that I think about it, Spider-Man really did save a kid from a burning building in both movies…) Anyway, the introduction to Miles Morales continues to be stellar in both story and art.
But what the hell is up with that cover? Who thought it would be a great idea to awkwardly shove Spider-Man’s huge ass in our faces?
Review: Huntress #1
Law of averages makes it clear that DC Comics was likely to publish at least one comic starring a female character who didn’t get naked in her first issue. The Huntress, Helena Bertinelli, dresses down into a sheer nightie, but she does so for a legitimate crime-fighting reason. The lasciviousness is actually part of the story! For the rest of the adventure, she’s an ass-kicking superhero who saves some girls, beats up some bad guys and doesn’t need a man to define her character. They even upgraded her costume to get rid of the exposed midriff and thighs!
Huntress #1
But then DC had to go and ruin the whole story by making it part of Earth-2! Those bastards!
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
I’ll get to the Earth-2 stuff later in this review. It’s complicated and I want to make sure my non-comics readers understand why it’s such a sour note. If you ignore it and don’t give a rats ass about that sort of thing, Huntress #1 is a great comic. It’s a nice introduction to the heroine, a great character study for her attitude and style of crime-fighting and it sets up a nice story. This shows promise as a nice little mini-series exploring an oft overlooked superheroine. Anyone looking for a simple story that is not bogged down in continuity or characters should give the Huntress a try. There’s a lot to like about this issue.
And writer Paul Letvitz even managed to make her sexy without resorting to the same debauchery and titillation that a lot of other DC comics have with this new revamp.
Henchman-4-Hire 