Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 2.5/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 2/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, DC, New 52, The, Superman | Tagged: Brett Smith, Brian Buccellato, Comic Reviews, Dan Jurgens, DC, DC Comics, George Perez, Jesus Merino, Keith Giffen, Matt Idelson, Measure of a Superman, New 52, Nicola Scott, Richard Horie, Rob Leigh, Superman, Tanya Horie, Trevor Scott, Wil Moss | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Infestation 2 (IDW) [event], Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons | Tagged: Chris Mowry, Comic Reviews, Denton J. Tipton, Dragons, Dungeons, IDW, IDW Publishing, Infestation, Infestation 2, John Barber, menton3, Paul Crilley, ScarletGothica, Valerio Schiti | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 2.5/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Filed under: Batman: The Dark Knight, cxPulp.com, DC, New 52, The | Tagged: Bane, Batman, Comic Reviews, Dark Knight, David Finch, DC, DC Comics, Jeromy Cox, Joe Harris, Mike Marts, Paul Jenkins, richard friend, Rickey Purdin, Rise of Bane, Run Rabbit Run, Sal Cipriano | 1 Comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Comic Reviews, Dan Duncan, IDW, IDW Publishing, Kevin Eastman, Ninja Turtles, Ronda Pattison, Shawn Lee, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT, Tom Waltz | 1 Comment »
Full Circle; Man Down
Written by: Greg Pak
Illustrated by: Tony Parker
Colored by: Peter Steigerwald; David Curiel
Lettered by: Josh Reed
Covers 0C, 1A: Tony Parker, Peter Steigerwald
Published by: Aspen Comics
I came into Dead Man’s Run having no honest idea what it was about. The title itself suggested maybe someone dies and comes back, or has some fatal countdown looming and they have some mission to carry out despite knowing death is imminent.
Turns out there’s this prison, with guards and all that…and what they’re guarding is Hell. Like…THAT Hell. Their prisoners belong there, and they basically just make sure they stay put. There’s a warden who seems to be something more, and some plot seems to be in motion.
The zero issue sees the death of a guard who with his last breath as a live man requests another. In the premiere issue, we meet Sam–a doomed cartographer who finds himself stuck in Hell at the side of the deceased guard, who seems poised to show Sam a whole different world than he ever dreamed existed. Meanwhile, we get a hint at the nature of the warden, and some of Sam’s motivation (the car wreck that he died in and woke up in Hell also left his sister in Hell–something he’s not going to take lying down).
This #0 and #1 really feel like the pilot episode of a tv series, more than just the premiere of a new comic series. The story–what’s set up so far and where it seems it might go, and the execution–seem very cinematic in a tv sort of way. I’m not entirely thrilled with that, because I don’t know that I want to READ a tv series.
That said…the story’s got a couple interesting hooks that leave me curious for the next issue. The art is very solid and in general makes the story flow. Stylistically it doesn’t seem at all like a super-hero comic (which is good, because this most certainly is not of that genre) nor does it seem hyper-realistic. It just has a comfortable feel that carries things alone.
The writing is solid…I know next to nothing about these characters, but there’s enough there for the potential to shine. It’ll be interesting to find out more about Sam’s past and the relationship with his sister–and if there’s anything special about either of them that’ll play into things. The prison guard, too, has a glimmer of something more. The glimpses we get of the warden suggest a lot more to her as well, that COULD wind up being cliche, or could provide something that might make for an interesting (eventual) comparison to the Hell we find in Gaiman‘s The Sandman: Season of Mists.
I made the reference above about this being like a tv series. Using that comparison….this puts me in mind of the first season of Prison Break if the imprisoned brother arranged for the other to be jailed, but dealing with a prison of hellfire and brimstone rather than steel and concrete.
Aside from the story and art, there’s also the fact that this is backed by Gale Anne Hurd’s studio…so I’m inclined to give this a bit of time to take shape if someone who helped to get The Walking Dead from comic to tv endorses it.
I received these two issues free as review copies, so the only up front cost to me was the time taken to read these. I don’t see a price on the #0 issue, but #1 is listed as $3.50…which earns points from me for being $.49 cheaper than most Marvel comics. As something cheaper than a standard Marvel, I’m more apt to buy #2 than I am one of those $3.99 Marvels.
The story so far seems to be–as said–like a pilot episode, so I’m not entirely sold on the singles, but reading these has me definitely interested in either picking up the next issue when I notice it on the shelf, or at least checking back before too long for a graphic novel collection.
You could certainly do much worse than this book…and it’s not off to a bad start at all.
Story: 8/10
Art: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Filed under: Dead Man's Run (Aspen), INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS | Tagged: Aspen Comics, Comic Reviews, David Curiel, Dead Man's Run, Gale Anne Hurd, Greg Pak, Josh Reed, Peter Steigerwald, Tony Parker, Valhalla Entertainment | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to cxPulp.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW) | Tagged: Bobby Curnow, Brian Lynch, Casey Jones, Chris Mowry, Comic Reviews, cxPulp, cxPulp.com, David Petersen, Fabio Mantovani, Franco Urru, IDW, Micro Series, Ninja Turtles, Raphael, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT | 1 Comment »
Quick Rating: Fantastic
Story Title: Book Five
The Legions come together as their foes are dealt with and the story winds down.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letters: Nick Napolitano
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: George Perez & Nei Ruffino
Publisher: DC Comics
In some ways, I hardly remember the last issue. It hasn’t been as long as it could have been…but long enough as we’re something like a half-year out from the ending of Final Crisis itself. Despite that…the wait seems to be worth it: this was a fantastic issue. I imagine I must’ve used phrasing like that before, but it fits here. There’s so much action and the pages are just filled with visual details on top of what we’re given overtly in words from the story.
The previous issue saw the return of OUR Superboy–Connor Kent. This series has also seen the return of Bart Allen (Kid Flash). Together with Superman and three different versions of the Legion, the characters work together to (would there be expectation otherwise?) overcome their foes.
We see a bit of personality from each version of the Legions (if not on an individual level in all cases). We have a satisfying conclusion to the story that makes sense. And we get set-up for a new ongoing series featuring these characters.
Johns’ writing is on a high level here, making use of story elements from the past few years–and going back through the history of these characters–and crafting what for now is THE Legion of Super-Heroes story to me. The story draws from elements seeded across numerous other books, and though this is a Legion-centric story, it borrows elements from throughout the DC universe as a whole.
Perez‘ art is top-notch as well with a level of detail that continues to impress me. His rendition of most of these characters comes off as iconic–and in many ways, this is the best I’ve seen many of the characters look.
I got a real kick out of seeing Superboy-Prime’s ultimate fate as the character comes full circle (though one should be careful what one wishes for), and there’s some interesting subtext to be taken from it as the character speaks right to the reader–or at least the comic-reading audience as a whole. Whether this is to drive home a purpose for the character and his unique position for executing this dynamic or is a way of Johns speaking to the audience…or both…it makes for a very satisfying conclusion.
I don’t feel like this story really justified its having the Final Crisis tag, as any tie it may have had to that story seemed to be covered in the actual Final Crisis series. This story ends without sending characters into Final Crisis (late or otherwise) but rather sends them toward adventure taking place after that event.
Despite severe lateness and showing no real justification for the Final Crisis tag, this concluding issue is not to be missed if you’ve at all enjoyed the story so far. If you’ve not read it at all…whether you’re a long-time Legion of Super-Heroes fan or have never touched an issue of any version of the Legion, I’d recommend considering the collected volume.
Ratings:
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Comic Reviews, Dave McCaig, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Hi-Fi, Legion of 3 Worlds, Nei Ruffino, Nick Napolitano, Scott Koblish | Leave a comment »
Quick Rating: Fantastic
Story Title: Book Four
Members of the Legions of Super-Heroes battle Superboy Prime and the Legion of Supervillains, while Brainiac 5’s plans bear further fruit, and the Time Trapper stands revealed.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letters: Nick Napolitano
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: (Reg) George Perez & Tom Smith, (Sliver) George Perez & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
I’m no fan of variant covers, and any kind of marketing ploy to con people into buying the same content multiple times. Thankfully (despite dual covers), this issue is not that. But this issue cements this Legion story for me as one that I absolutely want to get in hardcover. And given the trend with DC’s books…I will be shocked if this series does NOT get the hard-cover treatment out of the gate.
The battle between the Legions rages on, as they combat their enemies in the Legion of Villains. As the brawls unfold, we see the Time Trapper step into things in-person, no longer simply manipulating…and while he has planned things, we see Brainiac 5 pull stuff together as seeds he’s planted through time come to fruition at long last–including a major element that has taken 1,000 years to come to this very moment…though things look like they might not quite work out as he planned. Superboy Prime faces off with the just-returned/resurrected Kid Flash (Bart Allen), and sees that his ‘nightmare’ is just beginning. Issue’s end sets up stuff for next issue’s conclusion, and goes a long way toward making me interested in Superboy Prime and the Time Trapper.
The story in this issue feels like it flies along. Where earlier issues in the series felt really long, this one actually felt short…and yet, there’s still quite a lot unfolding, as we se so many characters doing so much in these pages. The foundation Johns put down in the earlier issues and pulling from prior continuity bear major fruit here, and the payoff more than offsets the long wait between issues (and at this point, I think of this story simply as Legion of 3 Worlds, and forget the Final Crisis tag as best I’m able). Johns certainly has a grasp on these characters–or at least, for a reader such as myself, he sure seems to have that grasp on ’em…without someone more steeped in Legion history pointing out individual flaws to me, I have no problem with the way characters are depicted here.
The art for the issue is fantastic as well…aside from the overt visual style, there’s something to the overall imagery (the art, the inking, the colors) that subtley remind me of past comics. The depiction of the Time Trapper really puts me in mind of his depiction in Zero Hour (the last I recall seeing much of the character), which to me marks an incredible consistency that just adds to the appeal of this issue. Yeah, it’s been forever between issues–and I normally would have let a series go by now in protest of the delay–but this is one series that really is too good to give up on.
I don’t know how things will play out for the final issue–nor how characters pulled into this story will work afterwards in terms of interaction throughout the DCU…but just the fact of their presence here makes me one happy camper, and gives me new appreciation for and interest in the Legion as a whole.
Obviously, the 4th issue of 5 isn’t a great jump-on point…but if you’ve considered skipping this and the final issue for delays, I’d encourage you to forego that and just pick it up if you enjoyed the earlier issues. And if you’ve not picked any of these up and have the chance to snag the whole story so far, it’s well worth it.
Highly recommended!
Ratings:
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Comic Reviews, Dave McCaig, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Hi-Fi, Legion of 3 Worlds, Nick Napolitano, Scott Koblish, Tom Smith | Leave a comment »
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Book Three
Legions good and bad fight a battle on multiple fronts while we learn more of the future and what it holds.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letters: Nick Napolitano
Assoc. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: (Reg) George Perez & Dave McCaig, (Sliver) George Perez & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
This issue is jam-packed with loads of action, revelation, and character development.
We begin on Oa with a confrontation with Sodam Yat who has just memorialized the last of the Green Lanterns…yet, fellow Daxamite Mon-El challenges him to make a difference in the universe, particularly in the Legion’s current battle with Superboy Prime. The battle between the Legions of Super-Heroes and Legion of Super-Villains in Metropolis continues as everyone squares off amidst much collateral damage. While that battle rages, other plans have been set into motion as part of a grander plan orchestrated by Brainiac 5. One plan comes to fruition, adding a not unfamiliar ally to the party.
This is good stuff. Though this issue is very, very late–something I really don’t like–one cannot deny the quality to the product itself. Story and art are both of high quality here, and continue to sell me not only on this series, but the Legion itself as envisioned by Johns.
The story keeps stuff moving forward; there’s plenty of action–AND smaller moments–with a bit of face-time for characters from multiple Legions (though probably not nearly enough for fans of any version shorted on the face-time). The other drawback to such a dense story is that–as a Legion newcomer–I wondered a couple times if I was missing a page or an entire issue. This is made up for with some satisfying pay-off at issue’s end.
The art is at least as dense as the story, perhaps eclipsing the story–virtually every page has loads of characters, dialogue boxes, and word balloons. In a day where many other comics might have a couple word balloons and a dialogue box for an entire page or a double-page silent spread, I’m lovin’ this.
Long-time DCU readers should find this issue of particular interest whether they’ve been following this mini or not. While not the best issue to have as one’s first, for continuing readers this should be a blast.
Very much recommended.
Ratings:
Story: 4.5/5
Art: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Comic Reviews, Dave McCaig, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Hi-Fi, Legion of 3 Worlds, Nick Napolitano, Scott Koblish | Leave a comment »
Quick Rating: Very Good!
Story Title: Book Two
Multiple Legions come into play, finally, as we also discover the fate of the Green Lanterns of the 31st Century.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Scott Koblish
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Letters: Nick Napolitano
Asst. Editor: Adam Schlagman
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: (Reg) George Perez & Dave McCaig, (Sliver) George Perez & Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
This issue opens on an ominous–but perhaps also hopeful–note. We then shift on page 2 to events on Sorceror’s World, which quickly becomes a battle between the Legion and Mordru. The last of the Green Lanterns shows up about the time Superboy-Prime and HIS legion show up, and the two Legions clash. (the double-page shot of their arrival would make a great poster…) Meanwhile, Superman and other Legionaires argue over what to do about Superboy-Prime (an argument that feels a bit metatextual to this reader). As they prepare to contact other Legions, Superboy-Prime and his bunch bring the fight home. Chaos erupts with the introduction of two other Legions. While they start to determine what’s going on big-picture-wise, Superman engages Superboy in combat. As the fate of the Green Lanterns comes into focus, a new player comes into play.
Visually, this is another fantastic issue. I’m not happy it’s been nearly two months since the last issue…but as a limited series that (for the moment) doesn’t seem to impact any other tiles including the core Final Crisis mini…well, I can’t bring myself to objectively count points against this for lateness except to note said lateness.
Perez once again impresses me–the entire art team does, really–with such detail, great colors, and so very many characters while maintaining such a high quality.
Story-wise, the “newness” has slightly worn off for me. I’m conscious of the fact that I’m missing a lot of stuff that older/long-time readers will pick up on. In my role as a relatively recent reader of anything Legion, though, I’m still enjoying the story overall. No real complaints…I’m eager to get to the next issue, and the issue after, and the concluding issue. I’m hooked, and I want to know what happens next (and really, with any comic story, I find that’s often a good thing, patience-be-darned!)
I get the feeling this is going to be one of those series that will make for a fantastic single-volume read. I feel like there’s a lot to be found in both this and the previous issue singularly–not fond of the higher cover price, but at least I don’t feel ripped off, as there’s plenty to keep me reading for awhile and even more to keep me looking through the pretty pictures. This is certainly my favorite of the Final Crisis stories–I’m enjoying this far more than the core story.
I definitely recommend this issue (with the usual qualifications–interest in the characters, already having or having access TO the first issue, etc.–this being the 2nd issue of only 5 total).
Ratings:
Story: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Filed under: Classic Reviews | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Comic Reviews, Dave McCaig, DC Comics, Eddie Berganza, Final Crisis, Geoff Johns, George Perez, Hi-Fi, Legion of 3 Worlds, Nick Napolitano, Scott Koblish | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 