Category Archives: Spider-Man
Review: Scarlet Spider #23
I wonder if, when all is said and done, the theme of this Scarlet Spider series is going to be ‘failure’. I don’t mean that to be rude, because I’m a huge Scarlet Spider fan and I’ve really enjoyed this comic. But surely everybody going in had to know it probably wouldn’t last. There just isn’t a big enough fan base for the character to warrant several years of publication. New comics these days are lucky to last two years, and I’m grateful that we made it all the way into the 20s. But writer Christopher Yost had to have known his run would have an ending, and I wonder if he planned from the beginning on having Kaine fail as a superhero.
Scarlet Spider #23
It would be a bold stance on a series like this. Not everybody is destined to be the world’s greatest hero, and maybe a sadsack like Kaine just couldn’t cut it. If his final battle with Kraven is any indication, maybe he just doesn’t have what it takes.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The final battle between Kaine and Kraven is upon us, and it lives up to almost all expectations. Yost has been building this one for awhile, and I’m excited to see Kaine throw down with an established Marvel super-villain. He may be a second-stringer like Kraven, but at least he’s got the chops to be devastating. And Yost makes the stakes pretty damn high, with all of Kaine’s friends on the chopping block. But for all the fun of this final confrontation, I don’t think Yost went far enough. In the end, Scarlet Spider is still just a second-stringer itself, and it’s so close to cancellation that it just doesn’t matter. So Yost just couldn’t deliver as deeply tragic or as powerful an issue as I would have liked.
I would have hoped that a book like Scarlet Spider wouldn’t have the constraints of a normal Spider-Man comic. Kaine is hardly an important, long-lasting character. His supporting cast will probably never be seen again. The villains he faces aren’t very important. I feel Yost should have had a lot more freedom to really push the envelope. Instead, we get a comic where that seems like it might be the case, but where Yost has to pull back at the last second.
What a shame. But it’s an even bigger shame that this comic is coming to an end soon.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/16/13
The week after Marvel puts a new Thor movie in theaters, they put a new Thor comic on the shelves. I hope someone in their publishing division got a promotion out of that genius move. The comic even has Malekith in it! Talk about synergy! Marvel should also be grateful that Jason Aaron writes an awesome Thor. Who could have guessed that the Asgardian God would be such a hot commodity these days?
He’s not alone, we’ve got swell comics for Batman, Nightwing, Spider-Man and the X-Men. Though Superman and Wonder woman break the streak with their ho-hum attempt at romance. Oh well. Love isn’t for everybody. But it might be for the teenagers in the original X-Men. Those kids are all about feelings. The hilarious and adorable All-New X-Men #18 wins Comic Book of the Week with ease. Check out their fancy new costumes!
I wish I had a costume that cool
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #18, Batman #25, Nightwing #25, Superior Foes of Spider-Man #5, Superior Spider-Man #21, Superman/Wonder Woman #2, Thor: God of Thunder #15.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #28
I apologize for the lateness of this review. These are busy days and I am nothing if not a horrible procrastinator. I picked a bad issue to be late on though because this is the last issue of Ultimate Spider-Man! They say that very thing in the letters page. As we all know by now, Cataclysm begins in a month or so, possibly bringing about the end of the Ultimate Universe. We don’t yet know what’s to come of our hero, Miles Morales, but it’s not looking good. I’ve said before that I don’t want to see him brought over to the normal Marvel Universe, but obviously the decision is out of my hands. All I can do is enjoy the final issue of Ultimate Spider-Man for what it is: a fun superhero romp.
Ultimate Spider-Man #28
The last issue of Ultimate Spider-Man sees an end to the threat of Roxxon in playful fashion. It also reaffirms Miles as Spider-Man – while answering a few questions about his origin – just in time to close the book.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it until the end of time: Miles Morales worked, at least creatively. It was a bold move for Marvel to kill off Ultimate Peter Parker and replace him with a brand new character, but writer Brian Michael Bendis made the absolute most of it. Miles lives up to the ideals and character we expect from Spider-Man, but he’s a different sort of man than Peter Parker. He’s quieter, for one. And sometimes it feels like he has a lot more responsibility resting on his shoulders. But he’s as entertaining as Spider-Man has ever been. I would happily read about Miles from now until that very end of time. I want to read about him growing up. I want to read about Miles as an adult Spider-Man. I want him to have the life Ultimate Peter Parker never did.
But the world is unfair and Ultimate Spider-Man as we know it is probably over. This is why we can’t have nice things.
This final issue is a good one. Spider-Man and his amazing friends team up to take down Roxxon, and they make fine work of it. The story isn’t written like an ending. By all accounts, it seems like Bendis is more than ready to keep going. The villains at Roxxon don’t put up much of a challenge at all for our little team, which isn’t too bad. Climactic fights are fun, but I’m a man who likes words and dialogue more than punches, and this issue is good on those. This victory means more to the heroes than the villains. And, of course, it’s all drawn spectacularly by Dave Marquez. The man is a dream artist. I would read Bendis and Marquez on Miles Morales well into the afterlife.
But I can’t, because this may very well be it. Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 11/2/13
I come to you today, my friends, with a heavy heart. This week saw the release of The Sandman Overture #1, a return to that famous character by world-renowned writer Neil Gaiman, with artist J.H. Williams III on pencils. There’s a very good chance, considering the subject matter and the creative team, that The Sandman Overture could be the greatest comic book of the year. Like everyone else in the world, I love Gaiman’s original run on Sandman. But I’m sorry to say that I just couldn’t bring myself to review the new first issue. I bought it. I read it. I enjoyed it, but I am a mere mortal. I have no place bestowing a grade on work such as this. And besides, after reading issue #1, it’s clear to me that this is a ‘read all at once’ kind of story. So maybe at the end I’ll write something
For now, let’s stick with the superhero stuff, shall we?
We’ve got the final chapters of both Lights Out and Battle of the Atom to enjoy, though I found both to be a little underwhelming. Two chapters of Infinity shipped this week, but nothing new there. The only real stand-out – and therefore Comic Book of the Week – was Superior Spider-Man #20, in which writer Dan Slott seems to gleefully start tearing down both the lives of Peter Parker and Otto Octavius. Slott’s overall plotting on Superior Spider-Man has been a master class in comic-bookery. everything he’s set up so far is about to come crashing down, and it’s going to be a real pleasure to read.
As for Moment of the Week, our last visit with the Time Traveling Icemen pulls it off with aplomb.
Comic Reviews: Infinity #5, Avengers #22, Green Lantern Annual #2, Superior Spider-Man #20 and X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 10/5/13
Villains Month is over and not a moment too soon, as far as I’m concerned. The sales were apparently amazing for DC Comics, but the comics themselves were mostly garbage, from what I read. They were all over the place with their stories, and when it came to quality writing and art. I can honestly say I didn’t need to read any of those Villains Month issues. None of them really added much of anything to the ongoing story or the villains themselves…though there were a few nice issues.
And it seems I may owe DC an apology about Bizarro…maybe.
Fortunately for us, Forever Evil is back, and it continues to be entertaining. The New 52 as a whole is still a weird fit for a project like this, but I enjoyed the issue. I also enjoyed the continuing chapters of Battle of the Atom and Superior Foes of Spider-Man, which claims Comic Book of the Week. But the second issue of Mighty Avengers really seemed to grind my gears! Find out why in the review below!
Yes, yes he did
Comic Reviews: All-New X-Men #17, Forever Evil #2, Green Lantern #24, MIghty Avengers #2 and Superior Foes of Spider-Man #4.
Henchman-4-Hire 