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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/28/13
Surprise, surprise, Villains Month isn’t half bad this week! Again, I’m not reading everything, but the few villainous issues I did pick up were actually pretty good. I especially liked the Man-Bat and Ocean Master issues, though Sinestro’s comic was really just a big character recap. So again, Villains Month is a mixed bag of different comic book styles, some of which work, and some of which don’t.
Meanwhile, it feels like forever since Forever Evil #1 came out. Say what you will about Event Comics, but Marvel clearly has a great idea when it comes to publishing them. Both Infinity and Battle of the Atom have had a new chapter every week since they started, and that makes the stories much, much better than having to wait a whole month to find out what the heck is going to happen in Forever Evil.
As such, the new chapter of Battle of the Atom wins Comic Book of the Week hands down. Jason Aaron takes over the story with Wolverine and the X-Men #36, and I think it was the best issue of the crossover to date! So many exciting things happen, with just as many great character moments.
Yes, Deadpool, tell us the future! I want to see Goldballs with a long, storied X-Men career.
Comic Reviews: Avengers #20, Man-Bat #1, Ocean Master #1, Sinestro #1, Trial of the Punisher #1, and Wolverine and the X-Men #36.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/21/13
I wish I knew the rules for Villains Month when DC started handing out the assignments. There doesn’t seem to be any real point to all these issues, other than just existing to fulfill the marketing gimmick. Some of them have been origin stories. Some of them have been direct tie-ins to Forever Evil #1. And some of them have just be short and sweet villain showcases. Some have been really good, and some have been outright garbage. There doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason. And I would have really liked to have known that going in.
Fortunately, this week is mostly good issues – if we don’t count Deathstroke #1. Double fortunately, Marvel Comics is still going very strong. There’s another solid chapter of Battle of the Atom, though I found the issue a little…disconcerting. You’ll see why. I also liked Infinity a bit more than usual. So that’s a plus. But Comic of the Week has to go to Thor: God of Thunder #13, for being its usual awesome self! It even finds a fun way to incorporate an obvious movie-tie-in villain without seeming too gratuitous.
Though if I’m being fair, Moment of the Week has to go to Black Hand #1, when Black Hand’s zombie army faces off against a squadron of police officers.
Comic Reviews: Black Hand #1, Cheetah #1, New Avengers #10, Infinity #3, Penguin #1, The Rogues #1, Thor: God of Thunder #13, and Uncanny X-Men #12.
Review: Teen Titans #23.2
I have no idea why this issue exists. I especially don’t understand why it’s labeled under the ‘Teen Titans’ banner. And after reading Deathstroke #1, I’m quite convinced that DC really pulled this one out of their butts at the last minute. This is garbage on paper, and as such, I’m not going to give it a full review. It’s just not worth my time. At least Trigon #1 was a stark realization in how much Marv Wolfman likes Demon Rape. Deathstroke #1 is just pointless. If you’ll recall, there already was a Deathstroke #1 back at the start of the New 52. He had his own series! Slade Wilson was a badass mercenary anti-hero, but the book didn’t sell, so it was quickly cancelled. Then DC tried to make due with a Team 7 book starring Deathstroke, which was also cancelled.
Deathstroke #1
So why the hell they gave him a Villains Month issue is beyond me. The guy isn’t a villain. Nor does he have anything to do with the Teen Titans. And if this issue is indicative of what came before, I can see why both previous Deathstroke series were cancelled.
Comic Rating: 2/10 – Very Bad.
Like I said, I never read an issue of Deathstroke or Team 7. I don’t know anything about the New 52 version of Deathstroke – other than the fact that he has nothing to do with the Teen Titans. That part of his history has been completely wiped clean. So forget that he was the main villain for the Teen Titans cartoon show. New 52 Slade has nothing to do with the Teen Titans. And they don’t appear in this issue. Even though this is Teen Titans #23.2, it has nothing to do with the Teen Titans whatsoever. Frankly, this is the worst Villains Month issue I have read so far. I haven’t read all of them, but surely there isn’t anything worse than Deathstroke #1. It’s just not a good comic, let alone an origin story or a character profile. I hated Bizarro, I hated Trigon, and I thought most of the others were pretty pointless. But Deathstroke #1 is just abysmal.
Join me after the jump for a little bit of synopsis and further review. But I’m not giving this issue the full treatment. I have better things to do with my life.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/14/13
Villains Month continues this week at DC Comics, and I’m enjoying it well enough so far. It’s a marketing stunt, and I’m OK with DC going all out for their marketing stunts. It appears to me like they’re using a few up and coming writers to actually pen the dialogue, so that’s pretty cool. I’m disappointed that Geoff Johns didn’t write out Black Manta #1, but he plotted it, and writer Tony Bedard did well enough.
Speaking of Villains Month, this week was the debut of the new Lobo. Does he live up to the controversy? Read ahead and see.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Mighty Avengers #1. There were some good Villains Month issues, but Mighty Avengers exceeded expectations in ways I did not predict. It might actually turn out to be a pretty good comic. With some pretty fun characters, like this guy…
Comic Reviews: Avengers #19, Black Manta #1, Lobo #1, Mighty Avengers #1, Riddler #1, and X-Men #5.
Review: Teen Titans #23.1 is All About Rape, a Lot of Rape
What would be a great way to follow up the disappointing Trigon invasion story in Teen Titans? How about a completely unnecessary, largely indecipherable origin story for the lead villain! Not only that, but it’s all about rape! Demon rape! Eons and dimensions worth of never-ending, soul-crushing, genocide-level demon rape. That is Trigon’s origin. He rapes people. That’s apparently his thing. And most of the time, the women he rapes either die during the act or kill themselves from the grotesque horror of it all. That’s our Teen Titans villain, ladies and gentleman. That’s the guy that DC Comics sends up against teenage superheroes.
Trigon #1
They better watch out that he doesn’t rape them in order to birth his next demon children. Because that is apparently what Trigon does. He rapes women on a Biblical scale.
Comic Rating: 2/10 – Very Bad.
So it’s Villains Month at DC comics, and a bunch of titles are being replaced for a quick, done-in-one origin story for a lot of New 52 villains. I wasn’t sure if I would bother reviewing Trigon #1, but after reading it, I felt I had to say something. Because this issue is something else. It’s…well like I said, it’s filled with demon rape. That’s pretty much it. Trigon shows up, vaguely explains where he comes from, and then launches a never-ending, interdimensional campaign to rape as many females as possible. The guy loves to rape. He lives to rape. Rape. Rape. Rape.
Raaaaaaaaaaape.
I hope I never again have to write rape so much in my blog. It’s not a fun word. It’s not a fun thing to talk about. And I’m relatively sure that it doesn’t have to be in this comic. Is rape really the major selling point of Trigon’s character? I know his major comics contribution is having Raven as a daughter, but does she have to have been born of rape? Heck, according to this issue, Raven’s mom consented to the demon rape. So why do so many other innocent women across the universe have to get raped?
The point is, this issue is full of demon rape. A lot of demon rape. Keep reading if you want, or stop now, I won’t mind. But writer Marv Wolfman really loves himself some demon rape. I’ve been around the Internet, and I’ve seen some freaky fetishes in my day. But this issue really, really takes the cake. Join me after the jump – if you dare!
Henchman-4-Hire 