In lieu of anything else to talk about, since my life is dreadfully boring, I'm going to review the comic books I bought this week. Hopefully, it'll be entertaining.
Keep in mind, though: I'm not a very sophisticated reader. In fact, I suffer from a mild case of ADHD and the common affliction known as "If It Has Breasts I Think It's Great" Syndrome. So take my reviews with a grain of salt. Especially if you don't like boobs.
First up: Amazing Spider-Man #509
Quick recap: Mary Jane auditions for an off-Broadway play; Peter receives a mysterious letter from Gwen Stacey; Peter then fights two ninja-looking people.
First and most important aspect of this issue is the change of artists. Regular penciler John Romita Jr. is replaced by Mike Deodato Jr. And hopefully for good. As much I like Romita's art, Deodato is about forty times better (that's not a figure I just pulled out of the air, either; I did the math).
This issue also seems to mark a change in direction by writer J Michael Straczynski. Since the beginning of his run he's used magical elements and supernatural threats. Despite some great stories, I always felt they were out of place in a book like Spider-Man. To be honest, it often seemed like Straczynski was just using this book to prove he could write a Doctor Strange series.
This issue seems more down to earth, with the focus being back on the urban quality that makes Spider-Man seem like a real, regular dude that just happens to have super powers, a supermodel wife, and a knack for sewing. Or maybe I'm just fooling myself. Straczynski does a great job on the character elements, making the book feel like we're really listening to what Peter's thinking instead of just reading what someone thinks Peter would say.
Oh, and I just want to say real quick that the villains introduced in this issue are REALLY lame (sadly, another staple of the Straczynski run).
Lastly, Deodato draws one hell of an action sequence and the end fight scene is great. The only thing he draws better than action sequences is Mary Jane.
Bottom line: Great book. The usual weaknesses are greatly outweighed by the usual strengths.
Astonishing X-Men #2
Quick recap: Some scientist invents a way to negate the X-Gene; the X-Men fight some armored dude; Cyclops continues to be a douche.
Again, I'll start off by talking about the artist, John Cassady. To describe his art in one word: BEAUTIFUL. Even if this book were being written by Chuck Austen, I'd still recommend it for Cassady's art. Holy Pope-raping Jesus, it's museum quality work.
While I enjoyed Joss Whedon's script, it didn't strike me as anything too spectacular. I know I'm in the minority with this, but I just don't see why everyone is proclaiming this to be the Second Coming of Morrison. The dialogue is riddled with fragment sentences (faux-noir, which is a style I hate; "The uniform. They always gotta compensate. Difuse."), some lame banter ("This doesn't have to go any further." "I wasn't aware it had begun."), and a generic plot (come on, curing the mutant gene is a stock plot). To be fair, it does have strengths; there were a few very funny lines and the Emma Frost/Kitty Pryde conversation at the end was masterfully done.
Of course, I am aware that I'm a little too critical of this book. When the first issue came out (hell, even before it came out), a lot of people were saying it was the greatest comic book ever produced. I knew they were only saying this because they were Whedon fans and, having never gotten into Buffy, the over-hyping praise pissed me off.
Bottom line: Not as great as the hype will have you believe, but still the best X-book on the shelves right now.
Authority: More Kev #2
Quick recap: Kev flashes back to one of his past adventures and explains how it ties in to the current story.
As with any Garth Ennis book, this one is filled with gratuitous violence and dark, twisted humor. It's not as strong as the previous issue, but given that it's primary purpose is to give the mini-series a foundation this can be excused.
Suprisingly, the treatment of animals in this issue shows that Ennis might have a soul, after all.
Bottom line: Good book, but you're not missing much. Wait for the trade paperback.
Avengers #84
Quick recap: The Avengers fight The Invaders.
Lame. This storyline is just an excuse to promote the upcoming Invaders series which I might have been interested in, had Chuck Austen not made them suck. The Blazing Skull, especially, is eight different kinds of retarded.
The only good thing to come from Austen's rather lackluster run on this title is the developing romance between Wasp and Hawkeye. I really wanted to hate this relationship. I really, really wanted to. But there's just something about it that keeps me interested. Kolins' is probably to be credited for it. He's not a great artist, but his style is unique enough to be enjoyable. His portrayal of Wasp somehow comes off as sexy without resorting to t&a. I found her much sexier when she was in her full-body costume than when she was in her underwear.
Oh, god, I'm pathetic...
Quick recap: Screw this issue. Be sure to pick up the next one, though, because Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch begin their run.
Catwoman #32
Quick recap: Catwoman and Batman go on a date; Slam bonds with his son; and there's apparently a new Catwoman running around.
FINALLY! The horrible, horrible artwork of the past few issues is gone! Sean Phillips comes aboard to draw this arc and I couldn't be happier. His style is very refreshing, giving the title a new look while bringing the overall atmosphere of the book back to its original indie feel. Hot damn!
Brubaker's script also returns to its roots, going back to the down to Earth plots and moving away from that lame Egyptian cult storyline. Basically, Catwoman and Batman go on a date for the entire issue. But Brubaker's characterization make this issue a must read.
I can't stress enough how great this series is and has been (with the exception of the previous storyline; but it was mostly because of the art that it sucked).
Bottom line: If you're not reading Catwoman, you don't deserve to read comic books at all.
Conan #5
Quick recap: Conan continues trying to escape Hyperborea; some Hyperborean feels sorry for himself.
Greg Rucka's adaption of the Conan stories continues to rock. But, really, how much credit does Rucka deserve? He's pretty much just converting the original stories into script form and then letting the artist do the rest. Seeing as the original tales were great, it's kind of hard to fuck the comic up.
The art is weird. It should be awful, but it somehow comes across as pretty cool. It's messy and ugly, yet those qualities seem to work for it.
Bottom line: I don't know why I read this book. But I do. And I enjoy the hell out of it.
Hellblazer #197
Quick recap: Constantine, having lost his memory and become a bum in previous issues, is picked up by a cult led by a sorta vampire thing.
I know I'm getting repetitive, but man, the art in this book is spectacular. It's very reminiscent of Mike Mignola's style, complete with huge scenery panels that serve no purpose other than to establish atmosphere. Marcelo Frusin has earned himself a spot as one of my top favorite artists of all time. He was great in the previous arcs but tops himself in this issue. Holy crap.
As I expect from Mike Carey, another solid issue. Mike Carey is fast becoming my favorite writer. His arcs have all been parts of a much larger story, so once his run is finished I'm going to have to reread the entire thing. Which is awesome.
Bottom line: Smart stuff. If it weren't for Lucifer, this would be my favorite comic book.
Losers #13
Quick recap: The Losers get involved in a car chase and discover a conspiracy that ties in to the other conspiracy. Or something.
This title continually manages to seamlessly combine awesome action sequences with relevant political plotlines/commentary. I can't think of any way to describe this book other than "cool."
Bottom line: Put down that issue of Uncanny X-Men and buy this book, asshole.
Mystique #16
Quick recap: Mystique fights some guys and rescues some captured mutant children.
I really like Sean McKeever's writing. He's written some great books that have all gotten axed, solely because they didn't have marketable, popular characters (and I swear to God, if Mary Jane gets canceled because you X-bastards weren't willing to give it a chance I'm headed for the nearest clock tower). Anyway, while I think it's great he's gotten a top title like Mystique, I'm also disappointed that he hasn't really done anything new with the title. It reads almost exactly like Brian Vaughn's issues before him. It doesn't have any unique personality to it.
Even so, it's still a fun book. It's not great literature, it's just simply a fun action book. And if you like fun action books, you'll enjoy Mystique.
The art is also simply fun. It's detailed and clean, without too much t&a.
Bottom line: Dumb fun. Not exactly a must have title, but worth checking out.
Robin #127
Quick recap: Batman continues training the new (female) Robin.
Bill Willingham has done great stuff on Fables. The only reason I'm reading this book is because I enjoy Willingham's style. So far, though, he's done nothing to make his Robin run anything more than mediocre. With the exception of a scene where Tim Drake (who gave up being Robin a few issues back) interacts with his school chums, I didn't enjoy this issue at all. I especially hated the part where Batman traded quips with the new Robin.
The art is so bad it makes me want to rip my eyeballs out. The artist has this style that combines manga with street graffiti. It actually looks worse than it sounds.
Bottom line: I never cared about this title before and still don't.
Superman #206
Quick recap: Superman talks to a priest; Superman tries to stop a war in a fictional country but learns a valuable life lesson instead.
Brian Azzarello is a truly great crime noir writer. So it's a little weird seeing him work on Superman. I understood his brief stint on Batman. But Superman?
Well, hey, it got me to read a Superman title for the first time in years. And I have to say I'm enjoying it immensely. Azzarello's style only kinda sorta works with Superman, but it still works. I also like how he's not treating Superman like most writers do: as the paragon of perfection that annoys the hell out of me. Azzarello is shaking Superman's confidence in himself and that's something I can get behind. Great stuff.
Although, I suspect the reason most people are reading this book is because Jim Lee is doing the art. Which is fine by me. He's a good artist, although, admittedly, I would have chosen someone else. If you're familiar with Lee's art, you'll know what to expect here.
Bottom line: The first time I've enjoyed a Superman book. I hate Superman.
Teen Titans #12
Quick recap: The Teen Titans fight Brother Blood and Jericho in order to rescue Raven; Geoff Johns continues to masturbate his nostalgia, using this title as lubricant.
This issue is just a big, messy fight scene. Right off the bat, I got confused as to what the hell was going on. And it just kept going until the end, when characters started turning invisible and screaming for no apparent reason. Normally this book is just heavily convoluted by continuity that Johns doesn't explain because he expects everyone to be familiar with the New Teen Titans series of the 1980's. For example: when Deathstroke's daughter became a villain named Ravisher two issues ago, I just rolled my eyes and thought, "Wow, that's stupid." Then I read that, in the first series, there was an issue where Deathstroke's son became a villain named Ravisher before being killed six pages later. When I found out, I rolled my eyes again and thought, "Geoff Johns is an asshole." When Johns first introduced Jericho, there was no explanation of who this guy was or why he was attacking the Titans because Johns just seemed to expect us to know. This entire new series is filled with this kind of crap and it makes it hard to enjoy the stories.
The art is decent. Nothing spectacular, though.
Bottom line: Buyable, even if it's existence is solely to let Johns wallow in his childhood.
Wanted #4
Quick recap: Mark Millar vicariously becomes a super villain and bangs Halle Berry.
If you like Millar or Ennis, you'll dig this book. Although the Fox's new urban dialect is a little jarring, this book flows well and manages to entertain. If you're one of those pussies that reads comics for heroes and justice, you'll want to avoid this book like the plague. If you're a nihilistic bastard like me who enjoys a good story, though, be sure to pick this up. It's like X-Statix, only the characters don't pretend to be heroes and there's more nudity.
Bottom line: One of the villains is made of Hitler's shit. And that's one of the lighter elements of this title.
Wonder Woman #205
Quick recap: Wonder Woman fights Professor Psycho.
Like Azzarello on Superman, if Greg Rucka weren't writing this book I wouldn't be buying it. I've never been interested in Wonder Woman as a character. This used to be a t&a book, but Rucka has been turned this title into a smart must-read.
My only gripe with this particular issue is that the fight with Psycho is ridiculous at times. Wonder Woman catches him no less than four times and, all four times, he escapes somehow. I say somehow because most times it's not very clear. One minute she's about to punch him, the next minute he's walking down the hall or in another room. Although, it was pretty cool when Psycho made everyone believe Wonder Woman was the Joker. That was a bizarre twist.
Bottom line: One of the weaker issues so far, but still enjoyable.
Keep in mind, though: I'm not a very sophisticated reader. In fact, I suffer from a mild case of ADHD and the common affliction known as "If It Has Breasts I Think It's Great" Syndrome. So take my reviews with a grain of salt. Especially if you don't like boobs.
First up: Amazing Spider-Man #509
Quick recap: Mary Jane auditions for an off-Broadway play; Peter receives a mysterious letter from Gwen Stacey; Peter then fights two ninja-looking people.
First and most important aspect of this issue is the change of artists. Regular penciler John Romita Jr. is replaced by Mike Deodato Jr. And hopefully for good. As much I like Romita's art, Deodato is about forty times better (that's not a figure I just pulled out of the air, either; I did the math).
This issue also seems to mark a change in direction by writer J Michael Straczynski. Since the beginning of his run he's used magical elements and supernatural threats. Despite some great stories, I always felt they were out of place in a book like Spider-Man. To be honest, it often seemed like Straczynski was just using this book to prove he could write a Doctor Strange series.
This issue seems more down to earth, with the focus being back on the urban quality that makes Spider-Man seem like a real, regular dude that just happens to have super powers, a supermodel wife, and a knack for sewing. Or maybe I'm just fooling myself. Straczynski does a great job on the character elements, making the book feel like we're really listening to what Peter's thinking instead of just reading what someone thinks Peter would say.
Oh, and I just want to say real quick that the villains introduced in this issue are REALLY lame (sadly, another staple of the Straczynski run).
Lastly, Deodato draws one hell of an action sequence and the end fight scene is great. The only thing he draws better than action sequences is Mary Jane.
Bottom line: Great book. The usual weaknesses are greatly outweighed by the usual strengths.
Astonishing X-Men #2
Quick recap: Some scientist invents a way to negate the X-Gene; the X-Men fight some armored dude; Cyclops continues to be a douche.
Again, I'll start off by talking about the artist, John Cassady. To describe his art in one word: BEAUTIFUL. Even if this book were being written by Chuck Austen, I'd still recommend it for Cassady's art. Holy Pope-raping Jesus, it's museum quality work.
While I enjoyed Joss Whedon's script, it didn't strike me as anything too spectacular. I know I'm in the minority with this, but I just don't see why everyone is proclaiming this to be the Second Coming of Morrison. The dialogue is riddled with fragment sentences (faux-noir, which is a style I hate; "The uniform. They always gotta compensate. Difuse."), some lame banter ("This doesn't have to go any further." "I wasn't aware it had begun."), and a generic plot (come on, curing the mutant gene is a stock plot). To be fair, it does have strengths; there were a few very funny lines and the Emma Frost/Kitty Pryde conversation at the end was masterfully done.
Of course, I am aware that I'm a little too critical of this book. When the first issue came out (hell, even before it came out), a lot of people were saying it was the greatest comic book ever produced. I knew they were only saying this because they were Whedon fans and, having never gotten into Buffy, the over-hyping praise pissed me off.
Bottom line: Not as great as the hype will have you believe, but still the best X-book on the shelves right now.
Authority: More Kev #2
Quick recap: Kev flashes back to one of his past adventures and explains how it ties in to the current story.
As with any Garth Ennis book, this one is filled with gratuitous violence and dark, twisted humor. It's not as strong as the previous issue, but given that it's primary purpose is to give the mini-series a foundation this can be excused.
Suprisingly, the treatment of animals in this issue shows that Ennis might have a soul, after all.
Bottom line: Good book, but you're not missing much. Wait for the trade paperback.
Avengers #84
Quick recap: The Avengers fight The Invaders.
Lame. This storyline is just an excuse to promote the upcoming Invaders series which I might have been interested in, had Chuck Austen not made them suck. The Blazing Skull, especially, is eight different kinds of retarded.
The only good thing to come from Austen's rather lackluster run on this title is the developing romance between Wasp and Hawkeye. I really wanted to hate this relationship. I really, really wanted to. But there's just something about it that keeps me interested. Kolins' is probably to be credited for it. He's not a great artist, but his style is unique enough to be enjoyable. His portrayal of Wasp somehow comes off as sexy without resorting to t&a. I found her much sexier when she was in her full-body costume than when she was in her underwear.
Oh, god, I'm pathetic...
Quick recap: Screw this issue. Be sure to pick up the next one, though, because Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch begin their run.
Catwoman #32
Quick recap: Catwoman and Batman go on a date; Slam bonds with his son; and there's apparently a new Catwoman running around.
FINALLY! The horrible, horrible artwork of the past few issues is gone! Sean Phillips comes aboard to draw this arc and I couldn't be happier. His style is very refreshing, giving the title a new look while bringing the overall atmosphere of the book back to its original indie feel. Hot damn!
Brubaker's script also returns to its roots, going back to the down to Earth plots and moving away from that lame Egyptian cult storyline. Basically, Catwoman and Batman go on a date for the entire issue. But Brubaker's characterization make this issue a must read.
I can't stress enough how great this series is and has been (with the exception of the previous storyline; but it was mostly because of the art that it sucked).
Bottom line: If you're not reading Catwoman, you don't deserve to read comic books at all.
Conan #5
Quick recap: Conan continues trying to escape Hyperborea; some Hyperborean feels sorry for himself.
Greg Rucka's adaption of the Conan stories continues to rock. But, really, how much credit does Rucka deserve? He's pretty much just converting the original stories into script form and then letting the artist do the rest. Seeing as the original tales were great, it's kind of hard to fuck the comic up.
The art is weird. It should be awful, but it somehow comes across as pretty cool. It's messy and ugly, yet those qualities seem to work for it.
Bottom line: I don't know why I read this book. But I do. And I enjoy the hell out of it.
Hellblazer #197
Quick recap: Constantine, having lost his memory and become a bum in previous issues, is picked up by a cult led by a sorta vampire thing.
I know I'm getting repetitive, but man, the art in this book is spectacular. It's very reminiscent of Mike Mignola's style, complete with huge scenery panels that serve no purpose other than to establish atmosphere. Marcelo Frusin has earned himself a spot as one of my top favorite artists of all time. He was great in the previous arcs but tops himself in this issue. Holy crap.
As I expect from Mike Carey, another solid issue. Mike Carey is fast becoming my favorite writer. His arcs have all been parts of a much larger story, so once his run is finished I'm going to have to reread the entire thing. Which is awesome.
Bottom line: Smart stuff. If it weren't for Lucifer, this would be my favorite comic book.
Losers #13
Quick recap: The Losers get involved in a car chase and discover a conspiracy that ties in to the other conspiracy. Or something.
This title continually manages to seamlessly combine awesome action sequences with relevant political plotlines/commentary. I can't think of any way to describe this book other than "cool."
Bottom line: Put down that issue of Uncanny X-Men and buy this book, asshole.
Mystique #16
Quick recap: Mystique fights some guys and rescues some captured mutant children.
I really like Sean McKeever's writing. He's written some great books that have all gotten axed, solely because they didn't have marketable, popular characters (and I swear to God, if Mary Jane gets canceled because you X-bastards weren't willing to give it a chance I'm headed for the nearest clock tower). Anyway, while I think it's great he's gotten a top title like Mystique, I'm also disappointed that he hasn't really done anything new with the title. It reads almost exactly like Brian Vaughn's issues before him. It doesn't have any unique personality to it.
Even so, it's still a fun book. It's not great literature, it's just simply a fun action book. And if you like fun action books, you'll enjoy Mystique.
The art is also simply fun. It's detailed and clean, without too much t&a.
Bottom line: Dumb fun. Not exactly a must have title, but worth checking out.
Robin #127
Quick recap: Batman continues training the new (female) Robin.
Bill Willingham has done great stuff on Fables. The only reason I'm reading this book is because I enjoy Willingham's style. So far, though, he's done nothing to make his Robin run anything more than mediocre. With the exception of a scene where Tim Drake (who gave up being Robin a few issues back) interacts with his school chums, I didn't enjoy this issue at all. I especially hated the part where Batman traded quips with the new Robin.
The art is so bad it makes me want to rip my eyeballs out. The artist has this style that combines manga with street graffiti. It actually looks worse than it sounds.
Bottom line: I never cared about this title before and still don't.
Superman #206
Quick recap: Superman talks to a priest; Superman tries to stop a war in a fictional country but learns a valuable life lesson instead.
Brian Azzarello is a truly great crime noir writer. So it's a little weird seeing him work on Superman. I understood his brief stint on Batman. But Superman?
Well, hey, it got me to read a Superman title for the first time in years. And I have to say I'm enjoying it immensely. Azzarello's style only kinda sorta works with Superman, but it still works. I also like how he's not treating Superman like most writers do: as the paragon of perfection that annoys the hell out of me. Azzarello is shaking Superman's confidence in himself and that's something I can get behind. Great stuff.
Although, I suspect the reason most people are reading this book is because Jim Lee is doing the art. Which is fine by me. He's a good artist, although, admittedly, I would have chosen someone else. If you're familiar with Lee's art, you'll know what to expect here.
Bottom line: The first time I've enjoyed a Superman book. I hate Superman.
Teen Titans #12
Quick recap: The Teen Titans fight Brother Blood and Jericho in order to rescue Raven; Geoff Johns continues to masturbate his nostalgia, using this title as lubricant.
This issue is just a big, messy fight scene. Right off the bat, I got confused as to what the hell was going on. And it just kept going until the end, when characters started turning invisible and screaming for no apparent reason. Normally this book is just heavily convoluted by continuity that Johns doesn't explain because he expects everyone to be familiar with the New Teen Titans series of the 1980's. For example: when Deathstroke's daughter became a villain named Ravisher two issues ago, I just rolled my eyes and thought, "Wow, that's stupid." Then I read that, in the first series, there was an issue where Deathstroke's son became a villain named Ravisher before being killed six pages later. When I found out, I rolled my eyes again and thought, "Geoff Johns is an asshole." When Johns first introduced Jericho, there was no explanation of who this guy was or why he was attacking the Titans because Johns just seemed to expect us to know. This entire new series is filled with this kind of crap and it makes it hard to enjoy the stories.
The art is decent. Nothing spectacular, though.
Bottom line: Buyable, even if it's existence is solely to let Johns wallow in his childhood.
Wanted #4
Quick recap: Mark Millar vicariously becomes a super villain and bangs Halle Berry.
If you like Millar or Ennis, you'll dig this book. Although the Fox's new urban dialect is a little jarring, this book flows well and manages to entertain. If you're one of those pussies that reads comics for heroes and justice, you'll want to avoid this book like the plague. If you're a nihilistic bastard like me who enjoys a good story, though, be sure to pick this up. It's like X-Statix, only the characters don't pretend to be heroes and there's more nudity.
Bottom line: One of the villains is made of Hitler's shit. And that's one of the lighter elements of this title.
Wonder Woman #205
Quick recap: Wonder Woman fights Professor Psycho.
Like Azzarello on Superman, if Greg Rucka weren't writing this book I wouldn't be buying it. I've never been interested in Wonder Woman as a character. This used to be a t&a book, but Rucka has been turned this title into a smart must-read.
My only gripe with this particular issue is that the fight with Psycho is ridiculous at times. Wonder Woman catches him no less than four times and, all four times, he escapes somehow. I say somehow because most times it's not very clear. One minute she's about to punch him, the next minute he's walking down the hall or in another room. Although, it was pretty cool when Psycho made everyone believe Wonder Woman was the Joker. That was a bizarre twist.
Bottom line: One of the weaker issues so far, but still enjoyable.
As far as the Amazing Spider Man review goes , I agree completely . I've never felt that John Romita Jr.'s art style fit Spidey very well . He's more suited for darker , grittier , characters like The Punisher or Daredevil . I welcome ANY new artist . Now as for JMS's writing... I really enjoyed his first story arc with the old guy with spider powers and the seemingly unstoppable villain . That was pretty good stuff . I also liked the storyline where Spidey teamed up with Loki , just for the sheer strangeness of the team up . It was kinda' funny seeing Spider Man completely out of his league . Most of the rest of the stories just didn't seem to fit the character very well . And YES the villains are usually pretty sucky . I wish JMS would do a story with some of Spidey's classic rogue's gallery villains . THAT would be cool . I'd like to see his take on pretty much any of them .
Hopefully this weekend I'll get to pick up my books . Then I might be able to talk more about Astonishing X-Men , Conan , Authority , and Wanted . I'm especially psyched for Wanted . It seems that it may finally fill the void left by the end of Preacher .