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Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Good and the Bad: 11/24/2010
Batman and Robin 17
I've never been a fan of stories that start in the middle. So guess what this one does? Yeah, right. This book marks the beginning of a new storyline along with a new writer. I guess this supposed to be the "witty" or "fun" Batman book, but I don't want fun and witty. You know there is going to be a problem in the future when the two main characters comment on their witty and fun dialog. I want Bruce Wayne kicking ass. If DC wanted to keep Dick Grayson as Batman, then why bring back Bruce? Why do readers have to go through a mountain of Bat-books just to get a whiff of Bruce Wayne?
Grade: Pretty good even if I don't like the method by which the story is written.
Captain America 612
Guess what? They're using Nazis in the Captain America book. Yawn. Master Man is back and he has freed the daughter of the Red Skull, who is now the new Red Skull. Yawn. I probably would have tolerated all of this had the writer not written one of the worst scenes I've ever read. Steve Rogers is talking to Bucky's lawyer and he says America needs Bucky free and back in the Captain America uniform.
Huh?!?!?!
No they don't! They want you back in the costume.What the fuck is he thinking? Why make a big deal about the big 3 returning to the Avengers when Captain America is a replacement. Bucky Barnes is not even worthy of fighting alongside Thor and Iron Man. Also, I'm still trying to figure out what Black Widow and the Falcon are doing. This book was once of the best books Marvel has put out every month, but now it seems like it's coasting on previous momentum. This book has the same problem as the Batman titles: readers want the original back. We spent out hard-earned money on those insipid miniseries and we want Steve Rodgers slinging that damn shield.
Grade: Bad. It's a damn shame Steve Rogers is nothing more than a guest star in his own book.
Fantastic Four 585
Reed's with Galactus, Susan's with Namor, and Johnny and Ben watch the kids. This isn't so much a coherent story than it is a series a vignettes starring the Fantastic Four. For a group of four, the writer has the team spread all over the place and unless you've been reading the book for the past couple of years, you wouldn't understand half the stuff going on. Galactus wants to go to Nu-Earth and gets some payback for being killed in the future. Namor has lost his damn mind and starts killing underwater diplomats. If there were better transitions between the story lines, a new writer MIGHT be able to follow along.
Grade: Good. It's the Fantastic Four doing fantastic stuff and that's all a true fan can ask for.
Green Arrow 6
Action! And more action! This is what Green Arrow should be like. Swashbuckling, people getting shot with arrows. Unlike Batman who about the mystery, Ollie is a hunter and the story does an excellent of letting us know just what is going on in his mind during a fight.Thanks to Brightest Day, Ollie is taking a bigger role in the DCU and rising above the "Batman with arrows" comparisons that have plagues the character since his beginning.
Grade: Really good. Goes a long way to show us we don't need Black Canary to make this character relevant.
Green Hornet 10
Wow. Ten issues of comic goodness. No detailed plot, just a straight forward superhero book. The Green Hornet beats the Black Hornet. And it was a "witty and fun" ride. Can't wait for the next issue to come out.
Grade: Extremely Good. I complain about a lot of books I read, but I've never had any for this title. And even though there are a ton of miniseries with side and back stories, you don't need to read them to enjoy this book.
Incorruptible 12
Sometimes you pick up a book on a whim and it proves itself to be one of the best decisions you ever made. Point in case, Incorruptible. A side story for the book Irredeemable, in which a Superman analog snaps and starts destroying the world, this title is the reverse. A bad guy realizes how much that Superman analog is messing up the world and he decides to change his ways and become a hero while the rest of the world still thinks you'e a villain. That's all you need to know. No time travel, or parallel Earths or zombies.
Grade. Very Good. Sometimes Mark Waid can write his ass off.
Justice Society of America 45
DC Comics hates the world. I mean, why would they destroy so many cities? Coast City, Bludhaven, Gotham City and Star City have all been turned to rubble in the past. The victim this time is Monument Point in Florida and even Superman is feeling bad about it. HOWEVER, their are a few quibbles I have with this book. First, Superman is not a visitor from another planet. He's been on Earth a long time. Yeah, he's from Krypton, but he grew up on this planet. Second, isn't Green Lantern's body composed of the StarheartOther than that, this story does a good job of retconning certain plot elements from JSA history and reintroduces them and shows that even a Golden Age hero like the Flash can carry a grudge after he and rest of the team were labeled as traitors back in the 1950s. I really liked the scenes that reveals how Jay and Alan ran black ops missions in WWII and due to Alan deciding not to complete the mission, it's coming back to haunt them. As much as Jay is portrayed as the moral conscience of the DCU, it's shocking to see he was willing to take a life, even if that life belonged to a baby. energy? Because why is he beaten so badly that he's now paralyzed?
It's hard to believe I almost stopped getting this book, but I gave it another chance and I wasn't disappointed.
Grade: Extremely good. Now this is how you tell a multi-layered story.
Secret Avengers 7
Why in the hell is Marvel keeping the Thunderbolts going when THIS book is everything it should be. Avengers doing black ops and wet work? This is how you tell an original story. Just like the JSA, certain retcons are introduced and the story ties it all together. This is what Captain America should be doing. Too bad, he's no longer in the right uniform.
Grade: Really Good. This book just keeps gaining momentum.
Secret Warriors 22
Marvel's other black ops group is still going strong. If you've ever read this title, go get the back issues and get caught up. This nothing but Nick Fury being the ultimate badass. There were enough twists in this book to keep the reader on the edge and it keeps going right up to the very end. I love this title and apparently, it will be ending soon. I'm glad I've got the Secret Avengers to take its place.
Grade: Good. Once again, Nick Fury is straight fire.
Teen Titans 89
This book was straight garbage. I couldn't even finish it. Oh well.
Grade: Really really Bad.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
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