Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 6/27/15
It’s another solid week for DC Comics! After the mess of Convergence, they have come out smelling like roses with new comics, new directions and a new sense of fun. I only hope Marvel has the same kind of response to Secret Wars, though Marvel was doing fine before they started their summer-long crossover.
This week sees new issues of Aquaman, Batgirl and Grayson, and the debut of We Are Robin, the comic I was most looking forward to with DC’s new rebranding. Does it live up to the hype? Mostly. It’s a relatively sparse first issue, but it starts laying some important groundwork.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Batgirl #41. No big changes here, just more Batgirl goodness.
Go with him if you want to live
Comic Reviews: Aquaman #41, Batgirl #41, Grayson #9, Ninjak #4 and We Are Robin #1.
Captain Marvel, A-Force, and the Totally Awesome Hulk are Just a Few More New Marvel Comics
Marvel keeps rolling out their new comics at a near snail’s pace, and seeing as how I’m a busy, important man with a busy, important job, I haven’t been able to jump on every announcement. Or maybe I’m just lazy. One of those two.
Anyway, it’s Friday, and I’ve decided to do a quick summation of a few more of the announced comics! Most of them look pretty great so far. I’m getting a little worried for my wallet.
A-Force
Writer G. Willow Wilson is going to return to the Marvel Universe with her all-female Avengers team following Secret Wars. She’s a great writer, and the first issue of A-Force was full of character and energy. But the context of Battleworld hampered the execution, something that I hope a transplant to the regular Marvel Universe will fix. Based on Wilson alone, this is a must-see sort of book. Not much else is known, though.
Avengers
The Avengers are the flagship of Marvel these days, so of course they’re back, and under the pen of the extraordinary Mark Waid. He is a legend in the industry, deservedly so, and I bet he has a lot of great ideas for the Avengers. Marvel is once again doubling down on their popular characters with this series, putting Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Spider-Man on the team — just not the ones we’d expect. Tony Stark is still around, but Cap is still Sam Wilson, Thor is still Jane Foster, and Spider-Man is now Miles Morales for good. I’m a little iffy on how well Miles is going to fit in the Marvel Universe, and I think it’s way too soon for Kamala Khan to join the Avengers, but I’m going to try to have a little faith on this one.
Captain Marvel
I’m sad that Kelly Sue DeConnick is leaving the title she turned into a smash hit, but I have to have hope that Carol has staying power of her own. The writers of the Agent Carter TV show, Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas, are taking over, and I’m excited to see what they bring. Apparently the story is going to be about Carol running a planetary defense force, which is kind of a big deal. Hopefully Butters and Fazekas can bring solid character work to Carol’s outer space adventures, which I never felt DeConnick managed to do.
Totally Awesome Hulk
They’re keeping the identity of the new Hulk a secret for now, but Bleeding Cool is convinced that it’s going to be Amadeus Cho. And considering that tuft of hair, the youthful title and the return of writer Greg Pak, I’m going to have to agree with them. Should be a fun change up to the Hulk, and Pak will probably have the right amount of fun with the series. With a name like that, I should darn well hope so.
Squadron Supreme
I didn’t care for their Secret Wars tie-in, and I’m not sure if I’ll bother with Squadron Supreme. I’ve never cared about the characters, and Marvel’s decision to mix and match different Squadron characters from across the Multiverse does not have me interested either. Still, more power to everyone involved.
Spider-Gwen
Spider-Gwen is getting a new #1 issue, just to fit alongside the rest of the line. It’s not changing anything from its brief beginning pre-Secret Wars, which is fine. I keep meaning to get caught up with Spider-Gwen, but I haven’t found the time. It seems like it’ll be fun. Maybe now I should read all those back issues I have piling up and get on board for the new #1.
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Review: Teen Titans #9
After a long break thanks to Convergence, we’re finally back to regular coverage of Teen Titans. And unfortunately, that old adage of ‘good things come to those who wait’ bears little to no meaning on this poor comic book. Unlike the rest of DC Comics’ line in June, Teen Titans is not getting a makeover or a new creative team. We’re jumping right back in to where we left off with the stuffy writing of Will Pfeifer and the uncomfortable art of Kenneth Rocafort. You’re all better off reading We Are Robin. I’ve got a feeling that’s going to star far more interesting teenagers.
Teen Titans #9
Teen Titans #9 is just an uncomfortable, unwelcoming comic book. It’s not bad, I suppose, but it’s not somewhere I want to be.
Comic Review: 5/10 – Alright.
Teen Titans was just kicking off a brand new storyline when Convergence came along and slammed on the brakes. Superboy has returned, and he’s wanted for killing a bunch of people in suburbia. But those people were really Durlans, the shapeshifting aliens of DC, and he probably didn’t kill them after all. Red Robin and several Titans have gone into hiding to help Superboy uncover the truth, while Wonder Girl and the new Power Girl have joined STAR Labs in hunting down the Boy of Steel. Manchester Black, Pfeifer’s favorite character, has even given the Girls a new team of Titans to help them out — a team that somehow includes a returned Kid Flash.
There’s just something uninviting about Teen Titans #9. The art is all sharp angles, slender characters and muted colors. It’s Rocafort’s usual style, but I think I’m zeroing in on what I don’t like about him on Teen Titans. The pages feel cramped and glum. The characters are never having any fun. The story itself is alright, I suppose. The characters are all largely on point. But Pfeifer never really makes this story about the characters, it’s always about his plot. Here we’ve got a perfect opportunity to follow the Titans on the run or meet the new STAR Labs Titans, but we don’t really do either. Pfeifer writes a nice scene with Beast Boy and Bunker, but those are the only characters who seem to ever get any personality.
We don’t spend any real time with Superboy, despite the weight of the world being on his shoulders. And we spend even less time with the new Titans, including Kid Flash — who is a returned Bart Allen, for reasons that are never explained! It’s just tossed off that this is Bart, back from both time and space, and randomly back to being Kid Flash for STAR freakin’ Labs!
Join me after the jump for a fully synopsis and more review!
6 Things I’m Doing While Being Unable to Play Batman: Arkham Knight
Welp, it can’t be helped. I am not playing Batman: Arkham Knight today. The game hit stores and Steam only yesterday, and surely millions of you fair readers are playing right now. But not me. Not Sean Ian Mills. Not the Henchman-4-Hire. I…I have no excuse! Unless you count money as an excuse. That counts, right?
This should be me right now!
I love the Arkham games. When Arkham City was released while I was on vacation, I bought it while still on vacation and played it at my friend’s house! The List of Six I wrote on Easter Eggs in Arkham City almost single-handedly kept this blog afloat with page views through the early years! But now I’ve got nothing. I don’t own a Playstation 4, I don’t own an X-Box One, and I wasn’t able to afford all of the expensive computer upgrades in time.
I’m not playing Batman: Arkham Knight this week. So you might be asking, what the heck else could I possibly be doing? Join me after the jump to find out!
New Spider-Man Cast! On This Totally Random Tuesday!
Our new Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man is going to be Tom Holland! I’ve never heard of him, but apparently he’s appeared in The Impossible and Wolf Hall, which I assume are movies!
Still would have preferred Miles Morales
The next Spider-Man movie is also going to be directed by a guy named Jon Watts, who has worked on almost nothing! He’s got a movie, Cop Car, coming out soon. Maybe Marvel saw a preview and liked it? Or maybe they saw his credits working on The Onion News Network? I don’t know.
I just find it very curious that this casting was announced today, a random Tuesday at the end of June.
It’s not like anything else important was happening today…possibly involving Marvel’s biggest competitor…
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Henchman-4-Hire 