Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Green Lantern | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Blackest Night, Carrie Strachan, Christian Alamy, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Doug Mahnke, Eddie Berganza, Gabe Eltaeb, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Keith Champagne, Life Blood, Nekron, Randy Mayor, Rebecca Buchman, Rob Leigh, Sinestro, White Lantern, Xanshi | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 2.5/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Filed under: Adventure Comics, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe, Last Stand of New Krypton (Event) | Tagged: Awake, Bit, Blond, Brainiac, Brainiac 5, Brian Buccellato, Car-Vex, Comic Reviews, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Comics, Eric Trautmann, Francis Manapul, Future is Now, Future is Prologue, General Lane, James Robinson, Julian Lopez, Julio Ferreira, Last Stand of New Krypton, Last Stand on New Krypton, Legion, Legion of Super-Heroes, Matt Idelson, Mon-El, New Krypton, Pete Pantazis, Pier Gallo, Sterling Gates, Steve Wands, Superboy, Travis Moore, Wil Moss, World of New Krypton | Leave a comment »
Writer: Christopher Long
Art: Dalibor Talajic
Colors: Tomislav Tikulin
Letters: Jeff Eckleberry
Cover: Humberto Ramos
Production: A. Dial & D. Lucchese
Asst Editor: Sebastian Girner
Editor: Axel Alonso
Published by: Marvel Comics
More than ever, this Deadpool Team-Up book seems to be the outlet for various creative teams to do one-off tales with Deadpool and various obscure Marvel characters. As with earlier issues…you don’t need to have read any of the previous issues of this series. And also in line with every previous issue…you don’t need to pick up the next issue to get the next part of the story, because this is a done-in-one story with nary a “To Be Continued” in sight.
For whatever reason, and however he does it, Deadpool’s been hired to captain a sub taking the niece of the man who controls “It! The Living Colossus,” who has been in a coma since a long-lost battle with Dr. Doom. The niece thinks that she can revive her uncle by getting him into close proximity with the Colossus he used to control. While the logic is iffy, the results can’t be argued with and–when things invariably go bad with the sub, Deadpool and his ‘client’ find an unexpected result of the uncle’s body being present so close to the statue his mind once controlled.
The story here is amusing enough, but ultimately not all that exciting. While I enjoy one-and-done issues as much as the next guy, as the status quo for this series, it’s just hard to get all that excited knowing nothing picks up from this issue’s events next issue, and to look back at these last few issues and realize that I could’ve skipped any–or all–of them and not be at all “lost” on the latest issue.
The art’s not bad–this is definitely Deadpool…he looks familiar and doesn’t appear out of place any more than he should in the situation he’s got himself mixed up in this issue.
Perhaps that’s the thing–this series is like the classic Ninja Turtles cartoon (or probably any of a number of other ‘classic’ cartoons of the 1980s and such). All you REALLY need to know is the basics of Deadpool. Merc With a Mouth. Healing factor, butt-ugly face…body basically maintained by that healing factor. Loves guns, great with a sword, somewhat crazy, and breaks the “fourth wall.” You can enjoy the entirety of the series as a large, dynamic dose of Deadpool…or you can tune in for any given issue and get a story from start to finish…a story that’s not entirely devoid of formula.
If you like Deadpool, and you have an extra $3 burning a hole in your budget…this is a great issue to get. No crossovers, no tie-ins, no preludes…just a complete Deadpool story all in one issue.
If you’re a bit more picky about your Deadpool stories, and prefer the longer multi-issue arcs, you’d be better served with Merc With a Mouth which is largely following its own continuity in multi-issue arcs, or the main Deadpool title, which follows the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, in multi-issue arcs.
Story: 7/10
Art: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2010, Deadpool Team-Up, MARVEL, Marvel Universe | Tagged: A. Dial, Axel Alonso, Christopher Long, Comic Reviews, D. Lucchese, Dalibor Talajic, Deadpool, Deadpool Team-Up, Humberto Ramos, It, It The Living Colossus, Jeff Eckleberry, Living Colossus, MARVEL, Marvel Comics, Sebastian Girner, Tomislav Tikulin | Leave a comment »
Killer Queen
Writer: Victor Gischler
Art: Rob Liefeld
Colors: Matt Yackey
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover: Liefeld & Yackey
Asst. Editor: Sebastian Girner
Editor: Axel Alonso
Published by: Marvel Comics
I’ve waffled over whether or not to pick this issue–this series–up as singles. This is sure to be a single-volume graphic novel in short order, as a singular companion to the debut of the actual Deadpool Corps series. And of course, this is a $3.99 issue…which I’ve just paged through and determined has a mere 22 pages of story…and an overly-lengthy “extra” section regarding the creation of the covers for this series…including full-page color images OF those covers…basically “filler” material to get extra pages TECHNICALLY relevant to the series to add to the issue’s thickness and APPARENT quasi-validity at the price point (aside from special issues, virtually every Deadpool comic of the last couple years has kept to the $2.99 price).
This issue focuses on Lady Deadpool, picking up on one of her adventures some time after Merc With a Mouth #7’s dimension-hopping adventure. Having joined up with the “rebels,” Lady Deadpool comes into conflict with General America (armed with a cybernetic…well…arm) and finds him quite the opponent. Before things go too far in favor of either combatant, “our” Deadpool makes an entrance, officially on a recruitment drive…and a rematch is to be had.
The story here starts off well. We get mostly a full issue focusing on Lady Deadpool–delving into a bit of motivation for the character, and setup for who/what she is overall. We get Deadpool himself, of course, and the beginnings of groundwork being put out as to how this Deadpool Corps is going to be assembled (I can’t help but think of something like Exiles, though I never read more than the occasional issue of that book).
The art by Liefeld is decent, but not my favorite by any means. I’ve tended to enjoy his depiction of Deadpool, but there is a certain anatomical consistency that seems to be lacking in various panels throughout this issue. As it gets the story across with no real hassle, I don’t take too much issue with it.
Overall, a solid first issue to a mini-series that itself as a whole sets up the first issue of another series. I don’t recall if every issue carries the $3.99 price point–but I’m going to have a real problem if it does, as the “extra” material is incidental at best and is not material I’d pay for (wouldn’t object to its inclusion in a $2.99 issue as TRUE “bonus” material, mind you).
This is a weekly mini, which means a big story told in a single month…but combined with the other 3 already ongoing titles for Deadpool, this may put a strain on fans’ wallets should one be the sort to try to snag the entirety of Deadpool’s current titles. It’s interesting to find myself in the midst of a true “family” of titles around one main character, when just a few months ago there were only two Deadpool titles, and 3 seemed to push it…but this fourth adds a whole new “dimension” to things.
I recommend this for those who are a definite fan of Deadpool, don’t mind the $3.99 or Liefeld art, enjoy Gischler‘s writing in particular, and mostly anyone who want a regular dose of Deadpool-related action.
On the whole, this seems unnecessary in relation to the main Deadpool title, so one’s probably equally safe to ignore this without missing out on anything deeply impacting ongoing continuity. Similarly, one can enjoy this while ignoring and not missing out on anything from the other books.
Story: 8/10
Art: 5/10
Overall: 6.5/10
Filed under: Comic Reviews 2010, Deadpool Corps, MARVEL, Marvel Universe, Prelude to Deadpool Corps | Tagged: Axel Alonso, Clayton Cowles, Comic Reviews, Deadpool, Deadpool Corps, Dogpool, DPC, General America, Headpool, Kid Deadpool, Kidpool, Killer Queen, Lady Deadpool, MARVEL, Marvel Comics, Matt Yackey, Rob Liefeld, Sebastian Girner, Victor Gischler | 1 Comment »
Fastest Man Alive
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Ethan Van Sciver
Inkers: Ethan Van Sciver & Scott Hanna
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Colorist: Brian Miller of Hi-Fi
Colored by: Brian Miller of Hi-Fi
Cover by: Ethan Van Sciver
Assistant Editor: Chris Conroy
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Published by: DC Comics
This mini started out billed as a 5-issue series. Then it got expanded to 6 issues. This sixth/final issue comes basically 10 months after #1 shipped. Frankly, the issue–while something I’d like to…well, like…seems to be something that ought to have been wrapped up long before now.
Story-wise, we open on Barry and Wally chasing Zoom through time–the latter has vowed to kill Iris, the former are trying to stop him. Of course, the duo catch the villain and ensure he won’t threaten anyone ever again (well, for the rest of THIS issue, at least…it’s a comic. He’s gonna come back!). Then they return home where there’s a parade for Barry…I believe the one he was nervous about way back in issue #1. And what would a re-insertion of a classic character into contemporary continuity be without the “validation” of the Justice League affirming the return and his place with them?
The art for this issue–while good–lacks a certain sense of greatness, and isn’t nearly as appealing as I’d’ve hoped. Perhaps the lateness of the issue would suggest time was taken to really make it pop, or something. Even on a couple of the huge full-page/double-spread shots, I’m not entirely clear what’s being shown, though they make a little more sense when I take time to go back and “study” them, looking for what they COULD be, beyond what simply looking at them AS I read the story gives me. There’s one that I’m not sure if it’s being suggested that this chase through time IS the lightning that gave Barry his powers in the first place (which would seem to be a time paradox), or if they’re just viewing it, or if it’s just there to fill out the page and clue us in that they’ve reached the earliest time OF Barry’s time as The Flash.
The story itself mostly ties up the broadest of loose ends, but already sets the stage for not only the return of Zoom to active status, but also someone called “Doctor Alchemy,” who I presume is some largely un-used silver-age Flash villain that’s gonna be raised up to show us how awesome he can be, much as was done with Black Hand in Green Lantern (though I’m not expecting lightning to strike twice, in this case). Johns seems to have a definite love for the character, which I applaud…but this series in itself has done far too little to “sell” me on Barry as the primary Flash character (seems if anything, it’s been Johns using Barry to such good effect with Hal in Green Lantern and the core Blackest Night book that’s sold me at all on the merit of having Barry around.
Obviously, if you’ve already bought the first five issues, this issue’s one that you might as well consider picking up for the sake of completing the series. It’s in no way a selling point in itself though for the series, and based on this issue alone I’d suggest ignoring it. The collected volume will probably read much better, with the wait between issues stretching a mere turning of a page or two rather than months, and the whole of the story will be fresher in one’s head and thus probably feel more coherent.
As a whole, this issue’s quite a disappointment, a lukewarm ending to what should’ve been a hot series.
Story: 4/10
Art: 7/10
Overall: 5.5/10
Filed under: DC, DC Universe, Flash: Rebirth | Tagged: Barry Allen, Brian Miller, Chris Conroy, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Ethan Van Sciver, Fastest Man Alive, Flash, Flash: Rebirth, Geoff Johns, Hi-Fi, Joey Cavalieri, Rob Leigh, Scott Hanna, The Flash: Rebirth, Zoom | 1 Comment »
Three World War
Script: Randy Stradley
Pencils: Rick Leonardi
Inks: Mark Pennington
Colors: Wes Dzioba
Lettering: Blambot!
Cover art: Raymond Swanland
Book Design: Lia Ribacchi
Associate Editor: Samantha Robertson
Editor: Chris Warner
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
I’ve read a lot of Dark Horse‘s Alien comics, and enjoyed those via the Omnibus volumes. I’ve yet to read much in the way of the Predator stuff, though I’m somewhat familiar with the Predator side of things from the first movie, and both of the AVP films…and a couple of novelizations of Aliens vs. Predator stories from the mid-1990s.
This issue picks up with a bunch of military people heading toward a world where Predators are present (and apparently Aliens as well), and as their guide/advisor, they have the woman who was for a time accepted amongst the Predators, who warns them of how to behave and react around the Predators if they want to stay alive. Where the title comes in–Three World War–seems to be the Aliens, the Predators, and Earthmen. Once the military arrives where the Predators are, the woman leaps into mortal combat with one, apparently following tradition by which one earns the right to speak to the Predators and be taken seriously.
The story itself seems fairly shallow, and one has to make a lot of leaps in following the action and plot, as there’s virtually no context or real sense of history given…if I wasn’t already familiar with the properties, this would seem entirely new and unconnected.
The art is where the strength of the issue lies, as the design and coloring blend for an end result that looks very much like a comic book–as it should, since this is one–and yet, also comes across as something like an adaptation of a screenplay, carrying a lot of weight of story by showing things rather than narration or exposition laying things out. The visuals seem fairly simple and not all that detailed…but these would work fairly well if this were to be an animated tv production.
As seems to be the case with most blends of these two properties, the story tends to be more about the Predators or otherwise those dealing with the Aliens, and the Aliens become a plot device…which I have no problem with. However, one really needs to either be a fan of or not mind reading about the Predators to enjoy this, as the Aliens get virtually zero presence here, and no real development…they’re just kinda there.
All in all, a solid enough issue. There seems to be more unrealized potential here than what’s already unfolded, and the book could do with a recap page (I couldn’t summarize the plot of the previous issue offhand without laying out some serious B.S.). But if you’re a fan of these properties, this is definitely worth a look-see, and if you don’t mind a highly visual-driven reading experience, this is a good series to check out. I do think this will ultimately read best as a collected volume, rather than in single issues with 6-some weeks between issues.
Story: 4/10
Art: 6/10
Overall: 5/10
Filed under: Aliens, Dark Horse, Predator | Tagged: Alien, Alien Vs. Predator, Aliens, Aliens Vs. Predator, Aliens Vs. Predator: Three World War, AVP, AVP: Three World War, Blambot, Chris Warner, Comic Reviews, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse Publishing, Lia Ribacchi, Mark Pennington, Predator, Predators, Randy Stradley, Raymond Swanland, Rick Leonardi, Samantha Robertson, Three World War, Wes Dzioba | 1 Comment »
Yesterday Today Tomorrow / Career Weak / Unflappable
Scripts: Michael Uslan, Angelo Decesare, Craig Boldman
Pencils: Stan Goldberg
Inking: Bob Smith
Lettering: Jack Morelli
Coloring: Glenn Whitmore
Managing Editor: Mike Pellerito
Editor/Editor-in-Chief: Victor Gorelick
Cover: Dan Parent
Published by: Archie Comics
Archie is one of those comics that seems to stick to a status quo far moreso than any other comics I can think of offhand–even more than super-heroes such as Superman or Batman, which can seem to at least take a year or two to deviate from status quo now and again.
I picked up Archie #600 not solely because of being a legitimate milestone (no reboots, restarts, disassemblings, etc en route), but because it was the first of a 6-issue story. Unlike the digests the publisher puts on regulalry, this wasn’t just some “theme” for a bunch of gag shorts and whatnot–it was six issues of full-issue-length ongoing story featuring the Archie mainstays. Archie of course, Betty, Veronica, their families, Jughead, Reggie, Moose, Midge, Pop Tate, Principal Weatherbee, and the other usuals. We’re familiar with them, we know who they are and what they’re about, and they can carry full-length stories.
This issue bills itself as an Epilogue, as a “Part 7,” whereas the Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty/Will You Marry Me? story was for six issues billed as __ of 6. So rather than jump off as intended with #605, I picked this up, because I thoroughly enjoyed the 6-issue arc, I figured one more issue of follow-up couldn’t hurt.
Boy, was I wrong on that. This issue returns to the multiple stories per issue, with the stories more gag-oriented and predictable than being solid character-drivin stories.
The main feature is the follow-up to Will You Marry Me, as the guys give Archie a hard time for his notion of having seen a future where he married each of the girls, and sees him booking a date with each for the same night, and the fallout from that when the girls bump into each other on their way to meet up with Archie. The next short sees a bunch of gags as Archie supposedly embraces different potential careers, to the distress of his parents. Being a diver, or a painter, a mechanic, or a zoologist are all things that would be interesting to see Archie embrace–I’d gladly read a series of issues where each one sees the kid attempt to get into these career paths–but they have no real depth as given here with just a page or two per idea. And the final short sees Archie going ga-ga over a new girl, and tries to do everything he can to annoy Veronica so that she’ll break their date, freeing him to go with the new girl guilt-free.
The art isn’t bad in this issue–it’s “standard Archie,” the visual style we’re all used to for the various characters…no complaint there. It’s the lack of serious, deep story combined with a cover that led me to expect another issue like the previous six that makes this issue quite a stinker. If you’ve been following this title solely for the “big story,” there’s no need to get this issue–it adds NOTHING to the previous six issues. If you prefer your Archie with short gag-driven stories, though…this one’s for you, and you can freely ignore the huge “Part 7” displayed on the cover. As for me, I’ll wait for the next longform “special” arc.
Story: 3/10
Art: 7/10
Overall: 4/10
Filed under: Archie (Archie Comics), Comic Reviews 2010, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS | Tagged: Angelo Decesare, archie, Archie Comics, Archie gets married, Archie Marries Betty, Archie Marries Veronica, Archie Publishing, Bob Smith, Career Weak, Comic Reviews, Craig Boldman, Dan Parent, Glenn Whitmore, Jack Morelli, Michael Uslan, MIke Pellerito, Stan GOldberg, Unflappable, Victor Gorelick, Will You Marry Me, Yesterday Today Tomorrow | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Filed under: cxPulp.com, INDEPENDENT/SMALL-PRESS PUBLISHERS, Tales of the TMNT (Mirage) | Tagged: Andres Ponce, Casey Jones, Comic Reviews, Dan Berger, Dario Brizuela, Eric Talbot, Michael Dooney, Mirage, Mirage Licensing, Mirage Publishing, Ninja Turtles, Schooled, Shadow, Steve Lavigne, Tales of the Ninja Turtles, Tales of the TMNT, Tales of the TMNT #67, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT | Leave a comment »
Full review posted to comixtreme.com.
Story: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Blackest Night: JSA, cxPulp.com, DC, DC Universe | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Black Lantern Superman, Black Lanterns, Blackest Night, Brian Cunningham, Comic Reviews, DC, DC Comics, Eber Ferreira, Eddie Berganza, Eddy Barrows, Eduardo Pansica, James Robinson, John J. Hill, JSA, Justice Society, Justice Society of America, Luciana Del Negro, Marcos Marz, Rex Ogle, Rod Reis, Sandro Ribeiro, Tony Bedard, Wayne Faucher, White LIghtning | Leave a comment »
Lying to Myself
Writer: J.T. Krul
Pencils: Diogenes Neves
Inks: Ruy Jose, Vicente Cifuentes
Colors: Chuck Pires
Letters: Sal Cipriano
Cover: Greg Horn
Editor: Adam Schlagman
Published by: DC Comics
This is yet another issue where we get to see one of the Nekron/Black-Ring-posessed heroes fighting against what their outward body has become. In this case, Green Arrow as a Black Lantern, trapped inside his own body, watching it do and say horrible stuff to those he loves. While Ollie recalls key parts of his life and how certain people were there for him, how much they mean to him…his body is busy trying to kill those people, while he hopes they will have the strength to take him down.
I don’t think I was are of Krul before Blackest Night. What I’ve read of his throughout this event, though, leaves me quite interested in what he has to offer in general. In this case, I enjoyed the one-shot nature of this issue, as its context fills one in on the things they need to know about the character, while presenting some of those “deep” moments as a Black Lantern does horrible stuff to someone with strong emotional ties to the deceased (even if Ollie is something else, not dead but not alive, while possessed by one of the Black Rings). The moments touched on throughout this issue are both familiar and unfamiliar. It was particularly touching to see that a moment I remember being so moving to me back in 1994’s Zero Hour was a key moment to the character even here, 15 years later.
The entire art team did a great job on this issue, really capturing a surreal tone that really enhanced the story. The effect of having what’s at the forefront of Ollie’s perception in normal color, while other things that were going on around his body but not part of the memories he was going through inside lent a great effect to things. The visuals in general were very good here. I’m not familiar offhand with Neves‘ art, but this issue felt familiar, and I think Neves‘ style is similar to Ivan Reis‘; at least, this didn’t feel like something that was all that different from the core Blackest Night series.
Though I haven’t read an issue of Green Arrow since before Infinite Crisis, I didn’t feel lost reading this. There may be subtle stuff I’m not picking up on that’ll mean more to others who have followed the ongoing stuff. But on the whole, this seems quite accessible to those following Blackest Night in general, or who know at least the broad strokes of Green Arrow’s place in the DCU.
The cover is a nice homage to that silver age Neal Adams cover; here, reversing the image, with Ollie “charging” a ring and Hal shattering the lantern, mid-oath. It speaks volumes on its own, conveying a sense of history for those familiar with the history, but still serves as a fairly symbolic image of this issue in itself.
While I’ve been down on a couple other recent issues with this sort of theme/set-up (Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2, Adventure Comics #7, etc), this one actually works for me in a way those other issues did not. Perhaps it’s because of the way this ends, differently than I expected it to; or that I have more interest and “history” with Green Arrow than I do Wonder Woman…perhaps it’s simply my lack of context with this Green Arrow series, and so enjoying this “random” issue.
Accessible for newer readers, and presumably deeper meaning for longtime readers. This issue is very much rooted within Blackest Night…other than remembered past events for characters, this issue doesn’t seem tied to previous issues, and this issue leads back to Blackest Night itself (as opposed to the characters walking through a Blackest Night tie-in to go back to the normal/continuing story next issue virtually unscathed).
Recommended.
Story: 7.5/10
Art: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Filed under: Blackest Night (Event), Comic Reviews 2010, DC, DC Universe, Green Arrow | Tagged: Adam Schlagman, Black Canary, black lantern, Black Lantern Green Arrow, Blackest Night, Chuck Pires, Comic Reviews, Connor Hawke, DC, DC Comics, Diogenes Neves, Green Arrow, Green Arrow #30, Greg Horn, J.T. Krul, Ruy Jose, Sal Cipriano, Speedy, VIcente Cifuentes | Leave a comment »
Comic Reviews by Walt 