Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 6/28/14
Don’t look now, but I’m apparently in a crummy mood this week. I feel fine, personally. But going through these reviews, it began to dawn on me that I just didn’t feel all that excited about any of the books that were released. Last week was killer, but this week was kind of a bummer, even though we’ve got new issues of Batman, Amazing Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Justice League, and the debut of Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr.’s Superman. I thought I’d be happy!
Kind of by default, Ms. Marvel wins Comic Book of the Week. It’s one of my favorite titles these days, and it’s going to take a heck of a lot to knock it off its pedestal. Maybe I’ll get a week where Ms. Marvel, Saga, Hawkeye, Silver Surfer and a brand new Multiple Man #1 all come out at the same time. Then I’ll be in Heaven.
Though Amazing Spider-Man #3 wins moment of the week for the greatest J. Jonah Jameson panel of all time, courtesy of Humberto Ramos.
That needs to be on T-shirts!
Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #3, Batman #32, Batman Eternal #12, Justice League #31, Ms. Marvel #5 and Superman #32.
Doctor Who is Gonna Be Pretty Badass
The new season of Doctor Who with new lead Peter Capaldi is closer than ever, and today the good people behind the show decided to drop a random teaser trailer. It’s not much, but it does offer a glimpse of what might be in store for us fans.
I really like where they might be taking Capaldi’s Doctor. I think I’ll have a few more thoughts in the coming weeks. But for now, know that the new season starts Aug. 23!
He Did It Again! The Star Wars Prequels By Way of Guardians of the Galaxy!
Close down the Internet for the rest of the year, The Unusual Suspect has won the whole darn thing. Less than a week after his amazing first video – a trailer for the original Star Wars trilogy done in the style of Guardians of the Galaxy – Unusual Suspect has done the same thing for the prequels. It’s not as good, but it’s damn good.
Genius! If anyone asks you the point of the Internet, show them these videos. We obviously did something good recently, because these videos are our karma. They are glorious.
4 Reasons I Don’t Believe in Destiny
Destiny.
It’s been on the lips of game retailers and gaming journalists for the past two years. After the Halo franchise, Bungie Entertainment split from Microsoft Studios and set off on an intergalactic course that would take them to this game’s September release. This is going to be the video game release of the fall season on next-generation consoles. Crafted by the original creators of Halo, one of recent history’s most popular games, co-created by Activision, who’s responsible for the bestselling Call of Duty franchise, this game will be nothing short of revolutionary.
I wrote this because this isn’t the first time the gaming industry has brought such hype to a major release. Video games are a nearly $70 billion-a-year industry, and fortunes are at stake during this fall gaming season. Make no mistake, lines will form at stores when the game comes out, and reviewers will gush about how amazing it is. I, however, am jaded. I’ll be waiting at home when this game is released, with no intention whatsoever of buying it until I hear a word-of-mouth review. Here’s why:
Review: Saga #20
Sometimes, Saga can be the most amazing, devastating comic book on the market. And sometimes, writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples just need to get from Point A to Point B. Those issues aren’t bad either, but they’re not as exciting or as emotionally driven as the really great issues. That’s definitely not a bad thing, because Vaughn and Staples are producing one great comic. And sometimes you just need to let your story grow. Sometimes you’ve got a twist you need to drop or a point to make, or you need a few scenes to let Hazel be absolutely adorable.
Saga #20
Either way, whatever those two are doing, it makes for a good issue of Saga.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The last issue of Saga was devastating. It was like a punch to the gut. I wanted to cry, but I’m too manly for that. So I sucked it up and spent the last month hoping it was all a dream – that didn’t work. And here we are at Saga #20, the next chapter in the end of the beautiful relationship that is Marko and Alana. Vaughn wastes no time in putting temptation in their path, and it’s a little heart-breaking. Part of me thinks he’s putting one over on us, because the events of this issue are so obvious. But it’s probably just Vaughn doing what he has to do, which, of course, is break our hearts.
I really hope I can make it through this volume of Saga.
This is a fine issue that really focuses on the characters. Almost everyone gets a bit of spotlight, and it’s all nice for building their character and presenting more of their current situations. Alana is still on that weird TV show. Marko gets to play papa. And there’s some insanity about to go down in the Robot Kingdom. Oh yeah. That’s the big hubbaloo in Saga #20. In fact, I bet this whole volume is going to focus more on the Robot Kingdom and what they have to do with everything. They’re a weird bunch, to be sure, and I bet Vaughn has something big planned.
He’d better, because my heart can only take so much torment. Join me after the jump for the full synopsis with FULL SPOILERS and more review!
Henchman-4-Hire 