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« Comics: February 2011 | Main | Comics: April 2011 » ComicsSuperMegaSpeed Reviews Hulk #31 - Who is Zero / One? I dunno. Some lady. I guess i liked the Red Hulk when he was going around getting beat up by everyone in the Marvel Universe and dealing with MODOK & the Leader's doomsday scenarios, but i'm less interested when the focus is actually on General Ross. This is despite Parker's writing, which is good. Captain America #615.1 - I've read enough "The super-serum doesn't make Steve Rogers Captain America, only Steve Rogers makes Steve Rogers Captain America stories", but this was fine. I sure am ambivalent this week! By fnord12 | March 28, 2011, 7:40 PM | Comics | Link By fnord12 | March 23, 2011, 4:36 PM | Comics | Link This is how all DC comics read to me, so i don't know what's so special about these scenes. By fnord12 | March 22, 2011, 2:00 PM | Comics | Comments (1)| Link Avengers Academy #11 - I definitely prefer Chen's art to Raney's, but if this is what it takes to get two issues a month, i'm ok with it. As for the plot... i liked the arrival of the real Avengers, i thought that there was way too much 'explaining' going on, and i'm not necessarily thrilled with the idea of the students taking over the bodies of their future adult selves in order to save the day. Avengers: The Children's Crusade - Young Avengers #1 - That's a hefty title! And here we have another book where we see kid Avengers as grown-ups. But i like the Alan Davis art (mostly; i think someone needs to show Davis some pictures of black people to demonstrate that they don't have to have gigantic noses and lips), and i thought the future mind-fakes were interesting. Hulk #30.1 - Decimal points now, huh? I await Hulk #30.7DD when Marvel decides to go hexidecimal next year. Why not, they've already made their numbering system entirely meaningless with the constant resets and shifts. Hmmm, oh the issue itself? Yeah, what i always liked least about the classic Hulk comics is the constant pursuit by General Ross. So now that Ross is (a) Hulk, i didn't really need a replacement. But Parker does a good job setting up the guy and making him interesting. So we'll see where this goes. If these .1 issues are meant to be exciting jumping on points for casual readers, i'm not sure this really fits the bill, but i guess that's not my problem. Thunderbolts #155 - So Satana is going to be the Thunderbolt's mystic? Ok, that works. I forgot she wasn't dead. From the cover i thought it might be Nico from the Runaways, which could have been cool too. I enjoyed the 'Cage, Strange and Man-Thing on a quest' scenes (I especially liked when Strange said "Look Satana, it's good thinking using physical threats. But i have someone with me who can handle those. Now let's just cut to the chase, ok?"). (Also: Your search - Vagornus Koth - did not match any documents.) But when i read the little scene with the Beetle fixing Juggernaut's helmet, i couldn't help realize that the actual Thunderbolts were barely in this issue. Lastly, in introducing the "beta flight" team, it might have been helpful if the artist drew the characters so they'd be recognizable. The only one i really for sure 'recognize' is the Beast, and i'm sure that's not accurate! Actually, there's the Mandrill, and maybe that's one of the Blood Brothers (which would be odd) and that one's a Skrull, but you get my point. By fnord12 | March 21, 2011, 6:53 PM | Comics | Comments (4)| Link Chris Sims entertains a very strange question for our amusement. By fnord12 | March 15, 2011, 10:08 AM | Comics
& D&D | Link The triumphant return of this site's most favorite feature... Heroes For Hire #4 - I want this series to be good, because it's by Abnett & Lanning, but it's been a struggle, in part because it features Paladin so heavily and he's such a lame character. But i was intrigued by the Puppet Master twist on the Bird of Prey style set-up. That said, what i really didn't need was about 3 pages of pure exposition from the Puppet Master explaining what he was up to in a contrived one-way phone conversation, which also reveals that the Puppet Master isn't working alone. It's a little unclear if he's working for someone or with someone, but i'm not too excited about either (unless it's his longtime partner the Mad Thinker but then why would he be explaining his powers in such detail?). Anyway, we'll see where it goes but it's not the series i was hoping for. Avengers Academy #10 - Yay, Leech! I like this series, and i really like Sean Chen on art. But my god Veil is just stupid, huh? Thunderbolts #154 - Ok, let's get my geeky complaint out of the way. As far as i know, Jennifer Kale never knew Man-Thing as Ted Sallis, and there's no reason for her to be calling him Ted. It seems to just be a cheap and quick way of establishing that she has a deeper relationship with the Man-Thing than any of the Thunderbolts, but it doesn't work for me. Now my story-telling complaint: the scene where the lizard thing was chasing the people on the fishing boat... you knew that the Man-Thing was going to show up to save them, but my god, it felt like it took forever to get there. We're looking at about 6 pages, and that's after the initial scene establishing the lizard people threat. I kinda get the idea that it's like this horror-movie stalkerish scene, but i don't think it worked very well in comic form. Ok, both of those minor complaints out of the way, i thought this was a great issue. Love the idea of the Thunderbolts learning about the Man-Thing, and the Man-Thing, on some primitive level, enjoying hanging around with a group. Cool stuff, and well written. Also wondering who the Thunderbolts will bring in to bolster their mystical gap. They show Dr. Strange in the end panel, but surely it won't be him, right? Or this book really does become Luke Cage's Avengers part 2. Keeping with the theme of the book, it should be some evil mystic looking to reform, or at least someone not necessarily evil but looking for redemption, right? I can't think of anyone like that. I mean, Brother Voodoo might be looking for redemption at this point but they need to give him a rest. Hopefully not Son of Satan, either. New Avengers #10 - Ok, all of the flashback art was terrible. I never liked Chaykin's art, but at least it used to be stylish. This is just rough stuff. The scenes from the present with Deodato's art are great though. Now on to the real problems.... I've no problem with Nick Fury recruiting a super-team in the late 1950s. But the idea that they would be called The Avengers is just impossible to reconcile, unless we're going to retcon the idea that the Wasp didn't come up with the name of the real Avengers team on her own. Which would be incredibly lame. As to the team membership... Ulysses i'm fine with. The original Silver Sable: i actually think that's a cool idea. Dominic Fortune: i see no need to bring into 'real' Marvel continuity, but if you're going to do that, fine. Namora: ok, i guess it's after the original Agents of Atlas breaks up but before she gets frozen. Kraven the Hunter.... well, he certainly was already an established and renown game hunter in his first appearance, but the idea that he was really some sort of super secret agent doesn't really work for me. And putting him in a relationship with Namora seems wrong. But i can live with him being on the team; it's actually kind of innovative. Finally, Sabertooth. My immediate reaction was WTF? And yet, and yet... i'm willing to give it a go. Luckily i've studiously avoided all of the backstories involving Wolverine and Sabertooth and (god help us) Maverick, and Silver Fox, and god knows who else, so i don't have to worry about whether it makes sense for him to be active and part of a team at this time. But yeah, his healing factor seems way overpowered. Wolverine could possibly survive a shot to the head because he's got an adamantium skull. There's no way Sabertooth can just take a bullet right through his brain and be back up and walking around a few minutes later. That aside, though, my big problem so far is with the team's name, not the make-up of its members. Annihilators #1 - Terrible art. Really bad facial expressions. And really boring interpretation of the Space Knights. They all look the same. Beyond that, i really liked the appearance of Ikon and her analysis of the team's weakness. It was kinda marred by the fact that during that whole cool scene, the narration boxes from Quasar were full of angsty self-doubt. But i can ignore that if you're bringing me Doctor Dredd (terrible Bill Mantlo name) and the Dire Wraiths. So on balance, this was a win. As for the back-up story, the art style is not for me, and i don't like the idea of Groot not really being Groot. At all. NOT AT ALL! By fnord12 | March 12, 2011, 12:15 PM | Comics | Comments (3)| Link By fnord12 | March 10, 2011, 12:41 PM | Comics | Link Doing my best to assume the above toy is in no way indicative of how the upcoming Thor movie will be. Found on Mike Sterling's latest End of Civilization post, wherein each month he takes a look at all of the wonderful comics-related junk coming out. By fnord12 | March 3, 2011, 10:28 AM | Comics
& Movies | Comments (3)| Link |
