Monday, December 28, 2009
Finally catching up.
Thanks to the now infamous mail snafu from several months ago(and no, I STILL haven't gotten my missing books...)I wound up falling way behind in my comic book reading. For instance, there are some titles(such as New Avengers and Nova)where I'm three months behind. Since I'm getting really tired of staring at this big pile of unread comic books, I've decided the best thing I can do is just read through most of these books as fast as I can and bypass posting reviews for them. Since it takes me about about 30 minutes to post a comic review, and I usually spend two hours a night on my blogs, that only equates to 4 reviews a night, and that's just not going to get the job done, especially since I've got something like 50 comics to get to, with new ones arriving all the time. If I come across an exceptionally good comic(or horrendously bad one!)I'll throw out a quick review for it. Once I've drudged through all of the older comics, I can start reviewing the newer books again, but until then, this blog is going to be a little bit on the quiet side. I do plan on putting up a best of the year post sometime towards the end of the week, so be on the look out for that. Well, that's it, I'll still be answering any comments you guys put up, so keep the comments coming. The only thing left to say now is Long Live The Legion!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Action Comics #884
Writers: Greg Rucka and Eric Trautman. Pencils: Pere Pèrez.
What Happened: We begin this issue with Nightwing(Chris Kent)dying of old age thanks to his sudden growth spurts. Flamebird(Thara Ak-Var)has brought Chris to STAR labs, where he is being looked at by Dr. Light and Dr. Pillings. As fate would have it, Pillings is secretly an evil Kryptonian sleeper agent sent to spy on earth... Uh-huh... Dr. Light leaves Pillings in charge of curing Chris, while she makes sure none of General Lane's military officers discover that Chris is being treated at the Lab. While this is going on, Gen. Lane sends some military officials after his daughter Lois. The military officials capture Lois and bring her to her father, who warns her that if she continues to side with Kryptonians, she'll be considered an enemy of the state and locked up for treason. With that, the General releases Lois, and she reports back to Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet. Perry tells Lois that he can't run a story she wrote insinuating that her father was working with known criminals against the Kryptonians. While telling Lois that he can't run the story out of fear for the Daily Planet staff, Perry strongly hints to Lois that the story about her father still needs to be told, which leads to Lois quitting her job at the Daily Planet. Back at STAR Labs, Pillings seems to be torturing Chris, which leads to Thara transforming into the Flamebird. Flamebird immediately recognizes Pillings as an evil Kryptonian, but Flamebird also realizes that Pillings is probably the only person on earth who can save Chris's life. In the end, Flamebird agrees to give Pillings a sample of her DNA, and in return Pillings agrees to fix Chris's advanced aging problem. This issue ends with Thara, unaware of what her Flamebird counterpart did, celebrating the fact that Pillings had managed to return Chris his proper age, as well as curing him of his rapid aging disease.
What I Thought: Meh, this comic really wasn't anything to write home about. The only good to come out of this book was the fact that Nightwing was finally cured of his rapid aging problem. The stuff with Lois and the Daily Planet really didn't move me, nor did the stuff with Pillings and Flamebird. So now Lois isn't working for the Daily Planet anymore... Big deal. We all know that once her father is out of power, she'll be working there again, so it wasn't like this was some kind of a huge shock. As for the stuff with Flamebird and Pillings, I guess it will come to a head down the road, but as far as I'm concerned, it made for a pretty weak ending to this comic.
Score: 6 out of 10.
I don't know what's funnier, the fact that Lois' father shot up her laptop or the fact that he warned her that he could "disappear" her...
What Happened: We begin this issue with Nightwing(Chris Kent)dying of old age thanks to his sudden growth spurts. Flamebird(Thara Ak-Var)has brought Chris to STAR labs, where he is being looked at by Dr. Light and Dr. Pillings. As fate would have it, Pillings is secretly an evil Kryptonian sleeper agent sent to spy on earth... Uh-huh... Dr. Light leaves Pillings in charge of curing Chris, while she makes sure none of General Lane's military officers discover that Chris is being treated at the Lab. While this is going on, Gen. Lane sends some military officials after his daughter Lois. The military officials capture Lois and bring her to her father, who warns her that if she continues to side with Kryptonians, she'll be considered an enemy of the state and locked up for treason. With that, the General releases Lois, and she reports back to Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet. Perry tells Lois that he can't run a story she wrote insinuating that her father was working with known criminals against the Kryptonians. While telling Lois that he can't run the story out of fear for the Daily Planet staff, Perry strongly hints to Lois that the story about her father still needs to be told, which leads to Lois quitting her job at the Daily Planet. Back at STAR Labs, Pillings seems to be torturing Chris, which leads to Thara transforming into the Flamebird. Flamebird immediately recognizes Pillings as an evil Kryptonian, but Flamebird also realizes that Pillings is probably the only person on earth who can save Chris's life. In the end, Flamebird agrees to give Pillings a sample of her DNA, and in return Pillings agrees to fix Chris's advanced aging problem. This issue ends with Thara, unaware of what her Flamebird counterpart did, celebrating the fact that Pillings had managed to return Chris his proper age, as well as curing him of his rapid aging disease.
What I Thought: Meh, this comic really wasn't anything to write home about. The only good to come out of this book was the fact that Nightwing was finally cured of his rapid aging problem. The stuff with Lois and the Daily Planet really didn't move me, nor did the stuff with Pillings and Flamebird. So now Lois isn't working for the Daily Planet anymore... Big deal. We all know that once her father is out of power, she'll be working there again, so it wasn't like this was some kind of a huge shock. As for the stuff with Flamebird and Pillings, I guess it will come to a head down the road, but as far as I'm concerned, it made for a pretty weak ending to this comic.
Score: 6 out of 10.
I don't know what's funnier, the fact that Lois' father shot up her laptop or the fact that he warned her that he could "disappear" her...
Siege: The Cabal #1
Writer: BENDIS. Pencils: Michael Lark.
What Happened: This issue begins with Norman Osborn having a heart to heart talk with his Green Goblin mask about the fact that Asgard is still on American soil. The mask convinces Norman that he should do something to get Asgard off of earth. In order to deal with Asgard, Osborn decides to call the meeting between the Cabal, who are basically a band of super powered villains. The Cabal consists of Osborn, Loki, the Hood, Dr. Doom, and Taskmaster, who is taking the place of Namor. Doom announces that he isn't interested in doing anything about Asgard until Namor is put back on the Cabal, but Osborn refuses to entertain that. The conversation between Doom and Osborn gets more and more heated, and Osborn winds up threatening Doom with his mystery bodyguard. Doom refuses to back down, which leads to Osborn's bodyguard assaulting Doom. Loki secretly tells the Hood that he should leave, and Osborn has his bodyguard obliterate Doom. Upon investigating the charred remains of Doom, Osborn realizes that that wasn't Doom at all, but some kind of robot. The robot unleashes a swarm of robotic bugs, which begin to destroy Avengers Tower. Before Osborn, and the entire building is destroyed, the Sentry rushes to the scene and destroys the robot, ending the threat. Doom sends a coded transmission to Osborn in which Doom threatens Osborn and his son if he dares to strike back at Doom. The following day, Osborn tries to convince the president to go war with Asgard, but the president wants to start diplomatic talks with the Asgardians instead. When the president brings up the attack on Avengers Tower from the previous night, Osborn blames it on Tony Stark. Once again Osborn tries to convince the president to go forward with an attack on Asgard, but the president is steadfast in his decision to start diplomatic talks. This issue ends with Osborn and Loki deciding that they need to stage an incident in which it looks like the Asgardians are attacking the United States, so that Osborn can have his war against Asgard.
What I Thought: This was quite possibly one of the best BENDIS written comic books I've read in a long, long time! The story was sound, the dialogue was good, everything I usually complain about in a BENDIS written comic book was done perfectly here. Hell, it's almost like BENDIS didn't even write this one! I was kind of on the fence about this whole Siege storyline, but as of right now I'm actually looking forward to it! So it seems Loki's been pulling Osborn's strings since the beginning, all in an attempt to get Thor out of the way and to take the throne of Asgard for himself. See, that actually makes sense. My biggest complaint about the entire Siege storyline was the fact that I didn't think Osborn was a powerful enough villain to be behind it all, but having Loki revealed to be the puppet master makes perfect sense. Plus now you have Doom as a wild card, which is also a stroke of genius. And of course, besides all that, there's the mystery surrounding Osborn's bodyguard. If I were to take a guess right now, I would guess that Osborn's bodyguard is the Void, the Sentry's evil half. But who knows, I could be, and probably am, way off. Wow, I just spent an entire post complementing BENDIS... It must be a Christmas miracle!
Score: 9 out of 10.
What do you expect when you have a room full of megalomaniacs?
What Happened: This issue begins with Norman Osborn having a heart to heart talk with his Green Goblin mask about the fact that Asgard is still on American soil. The mask convinces Norman that he should do something to get Asgard off of earth. In order to deal with Asgard, Osborn decides to call the meeting between the Cabal, who are basically a band of super powered villains. The Cabal consists of Osborn, Loki, the Hood, Dr. Doom, and Taskmaster, who is taking the place of Namor. Doom announces that he isn't interested in doing anything about Asgard until Namor is put back on the Cabal, but Osborn refuses to entertain that. The conversation between Doom and Osborn gets more and more heated, and Osborn winds up threatening Doom with his mystery bodyguard. Doom refuses to back down, which leads to Osborn's bodyguard assaulting Doom. Loki secretly tells the Hood that he should leave, and Osborn has his bodyguard obliterate Doom. Upon investigating the charred remains of Doom, Osborn realizes that that wasn't Doom at all, but some kind of robot. The robot unleashes a swarm of robotic bugs, which begin to destroy Avengers Tower. Before Osborn, and the entire building is destroyed, the Sentry rushes to the scene and destroys the robot, ending the threat. Doom sends a coded transmission to Osborn in which Doom threatens Osborn and his son if he dares to strike back at Doom. The following day, Osborn tries to convince the president to go war with Asgard, but the president wants to start diplomatic talks with the Asgardians instead. When the president brings up the attack on Avengers Tower from the previous night, Osborn blames it on Tony Stark. Once again Osborn tries to convince the president to go forward with an attack on Asgard, but the president is steadfast in his decision to start diplomatic talks. This issue ends with Osborn and Loki deciding that they need to stage an incident in which it looks like the Asgardians are attacking the United States, so that Osborn can have his war against Asgard.
What I Thought: This was quite possibly one of the best BENDIS written comic books I've read in a long, long time! The story was sound, the dialogue was good, everything I usually complain about in a BENDIS written comic book was done perfectly here. Hell, it's almost like BENDIS didn't even write this one! I was kind of on the fence about this whole Siege storyline, but as of right now I'm actually looking forward to it! So it seems Loki's been pulling Osborn's strings since the beginning, all in an attempt to get Thor out of the way and to take the throne of Asgard for himself. See, that actually makes sense. My biggest complaint about the entire Siege storyline was the fact that I didn't think Osborn was a powerful enough villain to be behind it all, but having Loki revealed to be the puppet master makes perfect sense. Plus now you have Doom as a wild card, which is also a stroke of genius. And of course, besides all that, there's the mystery surrounding Osborn's bodyguard. If I were to take a guess right now, I would guess that Osborn's bodyguard is the Void, the Sentry's evil half. But who knows, I could be, and probably am, way off. Wow, I just spent an entire post complementing BENDIS... It must be a Christmas miracle!
Score: 9 out of 10.
What do you expect when you have a room full of megalomaniacs?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A Quick Look at Batgirl #5
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller. Pencils: Lee Garbett.
What I Thought: We begin this issue with a housing development in Devil's Square burning to the ground. The owner of the housing development, a man by the name of Stefano Garcia, as well as his son Francisco(who just happens to attend Gotham University), are standing by watching the building burn down. Inside the burning building, Batgirl(Stephanie Brown) is battling a villain who goes by the name of Diesel. Apparently, instead of blood, Diesel has gasoline in his body, which he is using to make the blaze worse. Steph and Diesel fight to a standstill, and eventually Batman and Robin arrive on the scene. Robin(Damien Wayne) immediately attacks Diesel, without realizing that Diesel was leaking gasoline all over the flaming room. In order to save Damien, Steph winds up freezing both Diesel and Damien, which leads to a heated argument between Batman and Oracle later on in the Batcave. The next day at Gotham University, Steph ends up overhearing an argument between Francisco and his girlfriend, in which Francisco's girlfriend makes reference to Francisco's father being involved in shady business. Steph decides to investigate, and winds up making a date with Francisco. This issue ends with a bunch of goons interrupting the date between Francisco and Steph, which leads to Francisco being abducted and Steph being shot in the head.
What I Thought: Hey, you know what? I REALLY liked this issue! As a matter of fact, after I was done reading this comic, I actually went back and checked the cover to see how much money it was, because it seemed like it should have been more than just $2.99. This comic really packed a lot of stuff into a regular sized issue. The opening fight, the stuff with Babs and Dick, all the stuff at school with Steph, even the conversation between Steph and Damien, this comic was chock-full of action, and I for one really appreciated that. Steph is rapidly becoming one of my favorite female heroes, and every month if I find myself enjoying this comic book more and more. It should go without saying that I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue!
Score: 9 out of 10.
Wow, miracle of miracles, I even liked Damien in this comic!
What I Thought: We begin this issue with a housing development in Devil's Square burning to the ground. The owner of the housing development, a man by the name of Stefano Garcia, as well as his son Francisco(who just happens to attend Gotham University), are standing by watching the building burn down. Inside the burning building, Batgirl(Stephanie Brown) is battling a villain who goes by the name of Diesel. Apparently, instead of blood, Diesel has gasoline in his body, which he is using to make the blaze worse. Steph and Diesel fight to a standstill, and eventually Batman and Robin arrive on the scene. Robin(Damien Wayne) immediately attacks Diesel, without realizing that Diesel was leaking gasoline all over the flaming room. In order to save Damien, Steph winds up freezing both Diesel and Damien, which leads to a heated argument between Batman and Oracle later on in the Batcave. The next day at Gotham University, Steph ends up overhearing an argument between Francisco and his girlfriend, in which Francisco's girlfriend makes reference to Francisco's father being involved in shady business. Steph decides to investigate, and winds up making a date with Francisco. This issue ends with a bunch of goons interrupting the date between Francisco and Steph, which leads to Francisco being abducted and Steph being shot in the head.
What I Thought: Hey, you know what? I REALLY liked this issue! As a matter of fact, after I was done reading this comic, I actually went back and checked the cover to see how much money it was, because it seemed like it should have been more than just $2.99. This comic really packed a lot of stuff into a regular sized issue. The opening fight, the stuff with Babs and Dick, all the stuff at school with Steph, even the conversation between Steph and Damien, this comic was chock-full of action, and I for one really appreciated that. Steph is rapidly becoming one of my favorite female heroes, and every month if I find myself enjoying this comic book more and more. It should go without saying that I'm eagerly awaiting the next issue!
Score: 9 out of 10.
Wow, miracle of miracles, I even liked Damien in this comic!
A Quick Look at Green Lantern Corps #43
Writer: Peter Tomasi. Pencils: Patrick Gleason.
What Happened: This issue begins with Guy Gardner and Soranik Natu(Kyle Rayner's girlfriend)heading to Kyle's dead body. Guy tries to keep Kyle's ring from leaving, while Soranik attempts to restart Kyle's heart. Neither one meets with much success. Guy, being Guy, flips out and starts ranting and raving about Kyle's death, which causes a Red Lantern ring to affix itself to Guy's hand, transforming him into a Red Lantern. Guy, now a Red Lantern, goes on a rampage and begins killing every Black Lantern he sees. While Guy is running amok, Natu is trying to fight off several black rings, which are trying to affix themselves to Kyle, which would turn him into a Black Lantern. Luckily for Soranik, one of the Indigo Lanterns arrives on the scene along with a few Green Lanterns and together they try to keep the black rings from transforming Kyle. On another part of Oa, Kryb and a Star Sapphire battle against an army of Black Lantern children. Kryb doesn't understand that the children are dead, and refuses to attack them. The Star Sapphire becomes aware of Natu's heartache over Kyle's death and heads towards her. Guy arrives on the scene and attacks both the Black Lantern children and Kryb, killing all of them. The Star Sapphire reaches Natu, and does some weird Star Sapphire magic, which ultimately results in Kyle coming back to life. Upon Kyle's rebirth, his ring returns to him, and he's once again welcomed into the Green Lantern Corps. From there Kyle's compatriots tell him what happened with Guy, and Kyle decides he's going to help Guy rid himself of the red ring. This issue ends with Mogo heading to Oa, apparently to lend a hand in the battle.
What I Thought: Well, Kyle's death sure didn't last long, did it! Obviously as a fan of Kyle's I'm happy about that, although I thought the way he came back with sort of cheap. But at least he's back. This issue was good, if unspectacular. However, I find myself wondering if I would've enjoyed this comic more if I wasn't reading a zillion Blackest Night books seemingly all at once... As of right now, I swear that I won't read another Blackest Night comic book until the new year. Seriously!!!
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Yeah, you definitely don't want to piss off Red Lantern Guy Gardner!
What Happened: This issue begins with Guy Gardner and Soranik Natu(Kyle Rayner's girlfriend)heading to Kyle's dead body. Guy tries to keep Kyle's ring from leaving, while Soranik attempts to restart Kyle's heart. Neither one meets with much success. Guy, being Guy, flips out and starts ranting and raving about Kyle's death, which causes a Red Lantern ring to affix itself to Guy's hand, transforming him into a Red Lantern. Guy, now a Red Lantern, goes on a rampage and begins killing every Black Lantern he sees. While Guy is running amok, Natu is trying to fight off several black rings, which are trying to affix themselves to Kyle, which would turn him into a Black Lantern. Luckily for Soranik, one of the Indigo Lanterns arrives on the scene along with a few Green Lanterns and together they try to keep the black rings from transforming Kyle. On another part of Oa, Kryb and a Star Sapphire battle against an army of Black Lantern children. Kryb doesn't understand that the children are dead, and refuses to attack them. The Star Sapphire becomes aware of Natu's heartache over Kyle's death and heads towards her. Guy arrives on the scene and attacks both the Black Lantern children and Kryb, killing all of them. The Star Sapphire reaches Natu, and does some weird Star Sapphire magic, which ultimately results in Kyle coming back to life. Upon Kyle's rebirth, his ring returns to him, and he's once again welcomed into the Green Lantern Corps. From there Kyle's compatriots tell him what happened with Guy, and Kyle decides he's going to help Guy rid himself of the red ring. This issue ends with Mogo heading to Oa, apparently to lend a hand in the battle.
What I Thought: Well, Kyle's death sure didn't last long, did it! Obviously as a fan of Kyle's I'm happy about that, although I thought the way he came back with sort of cheap. But at least he's back. This issue was good, if unspectacular. However, I find myself wondering if I would've enjoyed this comic more if I wasn't reading a zillion Blackest Night books seemingly all at once... As of right now, I swear that I won't read another Blackest Night comic book until the new year. Seriously!!!
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Yeah, you definitely don't want to piss off Red Lantern Guy Gardner!
Christmas stuff.
So Christmas has come and gone. Hopefully everybody out there reading this has had a healthy, happy and safe Christmas. And of course, hopefully Santa has left you plenty of goodies under the tree! As for me, I'm pretty happy with what I've received, I'm actually using it right now. My parents, in an attempt to save me time, picked up some cool speech recognition software for me. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to typing I suck! I mean I really suck! What would take a normal person an hour to type up, usually takes me at least two hours. Now all I have to do is say what I want to type down and viola, it appears on the screen. Now granted there are some kinks in the system, probably because of my weird accent, but for the most part it's pretty seamless. As a matter of fact, the last three reviews I put up on this blog I barely had to type anything. For the next couple of nights I'm going to keep experimenting with this program, because if it does work, it's going to be a lifesaver when college starts back up again in January.
Besides that, the only other thing of note I received was a 2010 Marvel calendar. I can't wait to put that up, because the calendar I've been using for 2009 was one of those freebies from the bank, and it actually looks pretty sad. Well, I think that's it for me, I was going to do a Best of the Rest post, but I'm starting to get on the tired side so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I look forward to hearing from any of my fellow bloggers who feel like sharing what their Christmas was like, hopefully it was as nice and peaceful as mine was. Until next time, Long Live the Legion!!!
A Quick Look at Captain America: Reborn #5(of 6)
Writer: Ed Brubaker. Pencils: Bryan Hitch.
What Happened: We begin this issue with Steve Rogers trapped in a bizarre version of 1930s New York if it had been taken over by the Nazis. In the present, the Red Skull, who is now controlling Steve's body, intends on meeting the president of the United States and proclaiming himself the true Captain America. Before Skulls transport reaches Washington DC though, a ragtag group of Avengers, led by Bucky, attempt to stop him but are blown out of the sky by the Red Skull's forces. The Avengers crash land right outside the Lincoln Memorial, and are soon met by the Red Skull( in Captain America's body) and several AIM agents. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers manages to find the Red Skull inside the Skulls mind, and the two battle for control of Steve's body. Crossbones, along with a mess of MODOKs, attacks the heroes in Washington. By this point, the Red Skull is headed toward the White House, but is intercepted by Bucky. The two battle, but Bucky continues to pull his punches out of fear of hurting his friend. The Red Skull's daughter, Sin, shoots Bucky in the back, and the Skull uses that distraction to take Bucky's shield away. This issue ends with the Red Skull severing Bucky's robotic hand and standing over him preparing to deliver the finishing blow.
What I thought: Once again I thought this was a good comic, but to be perfectly honest this storyline is kind of ruined for me. I mean let's face it, Marvel hasn't exactly done a good job of keeping what was going to happen in this miniseries a secret. Hell, Bucky and Steve Rogers are both shown at the end of the Dark Avengers annual I just read. Of course when the sixth issue comes out I'll happily read it, but unfortunately this whole comic experience is spoiled for me.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Don't you just love the way Captain America's eyes are red while the Red Skull is in control of him? Isn't that a tad bit too obvious?
Friday, December 25, 2009
A Quick Look at Captain America: Reborn #4(of 6)
Writer: Ed Brubaker. Pencils: Bryan Hitch.
As usual, Doom really brought the awesomeness to this issue!
What happened: The Red Skull, Crossbones and Sin visit Dr. Doom in Latveria, where Doom brings them to Armin Zola, who is working on a way to return Capt. America to the present. In the meantime, Norman Osborn's right-hand woman, Victoria Hand, is preparing to deliver Sharon Carter to Dr. Doom. Hank Pym and Reed Richards have figured out that Sharon is the key to returning Captain America to the present, but are unsure of how to find her now that she is in the custody of Norman Osborn. Black Widow, Bucky, and Clint Barton take care of that problem by attacking a HAMMER mobile data collector and discovering where Sharon was being held. However, Sharon is already in Latveria, where she, Captain America's body, and the Red Skull are being hooked up to machines. Captain America, still stuck in the past, is suddenly pulled forward in time, and his body in Doom's lab suddenly begins to stir. This issue concludes with Sharon realizing in horror that it isn't Steve Rogers in Captain America's body, but the Red Skull.
What I thought: I liked this issue, it wasn't great or anything, but it was a good comic book. To me Dr. Doom really stole the show, especially with the way he was constantly insulting everybody around him. So now, the Red Skull is in possession of Captain America's body... I still don't exactly get why, but you know how wacky super villains are, always with their crazy master plans. Personally, if I were the Red Skull, I would have happily left Steve Rogers dead instead of allowing for his potential return. But I guess that's why I'm not a crazy super villain. Since it's sitting right in front of me, I guess I might as well review the next issue of this miniseries now.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
As usual, Doom really brought the awesomeness to this issue!
A Quick Look at Dark Avengers #12
Writer: BENDIS. Pencils: Mike Deodato.
If seeing Norman Osborn running around naked is your kind of thing, then this is the comic for you!
What happened: Picking up from last issue, Victoria Hand from HAMMER, on behalf of the United States of America, has decided to surrender to the Molecule Man. Victoria agrees to leave the Molecule Man alone provided that he return the Avengers to her. Molecule Man agrees to the deal and brings her to Norman Osborn who is still laying naked on the floor of the Molecule Man's base, still being tormented mentally. All of a sudden the Sentry pops out of the Molecule Man and attacks him. This action surprises the Molecule Man, but ultimately he simply destroys the Sentry. Sentry pulls himself back together and actually begins to use the Molecule Man's own powers against him. Sentry then demands that Molecule Man returns everything back to the way it was, which includes returning the Avengers to where they were, as well as bringing back all the people he adducted, to which the Molecule Man does. After Molecule Man completes all of those actions, the Sentry destroys Molecule Man completely. The Sentry then tells his dumbfounded teammates that he can control the molecules of the world. Osborn tries to reason with Sentry, but proves unsuccessful, so Moonstone, using her psychiatric training, manages to calm Sentry down. Sentry then decides to return home alone. This issue concludes with Norman Osborn locking himself up in his downstairs lab and Avengers Tower, slowly going insane thanks to what he went through with the Molecule Man, as well as Loki's influence.
What I thought: Eh, I really didn't enjoy this comic at all. I've never been a fan of the Sentry, and now it seems we'll be getting even more of him. While I did enjoy the first two parts of this storyline, this one definitely fell flat to me. Next issue promises to have a lot more of the Sentry, so needless to say I'm not looking forward to it.
Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.
If seeing Norman Osborn running around naked is your kind of thing, then this is the comic for you!
Merry Christmas!
Looking at the title, I think this post is kind of self-explanatory. I just wanted to wish a very Merry Christmas to all of you who have taken the time to check out my little piece of the Internet. So, a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
A Quick Look at Dark Avengers Annual #1
Writer: BENDIS! Pencils: Chris Bachalo.
What Happened: We discover that after Marvel Boy(Noh-Varr)abandoned the Dark Avengers after learning they were all either criminals or insane(or is some cases both!)he began trying to contact the Kree Supreme Intelligence for orders. Having no success, Noh-Varr decides to try to figure out what humans want and why they act the way they do. While sitting in a park eating raw eggs, Noh-Varr witnesses a break up between a woman and her boyfriend. Noh-Varr approaches the woman to try to understand what was going on when the Sentry appears in the air above Noh-Varr demanding that he returns to the Dark Avengers with him. Noh-Varr attacks Sentry with some of his fancy, futuristic Kree weaponry, but that only serves to annoy Sentry, who ultimately gets a hold of Noh-Varr. Before Sentry can do any real damage to Noh-Varr, the woman Noh-Varr was conversing with earlier blasts Sentry out of the sky with a discarded weapon of Noh-Varr's(more on that later...). Sentry is forced to abandon the battle in order to avoid the blast, and Noh-Varr grabs his bag of weapons and escapes. Noh-Varr then heads to one of his safe houses and successfully contacts the Supreme Intelligence(more on that later...). The Supreme Intelligence decides that it will be Noh-Varr's job to watch over humanity, and to help him accomplish that duty the Supreme Intelligence fits Noh-Varr with a brand new set of Nega-Bands. Osborn and his Dark Avengers discover they can no longer track Noh-Varr(because of the Bands), and Noh-Varr tracks down the woman from earlier and says good-bye for now. This issue ends with Captain America and a blond guy named "Steve"(more on that later...)watching Noh-Varr from a distance, trying to decide if they should attempt to contact him and make him a member of their Norman Osborn resistance group.
What I Thought: Well, on the bright side Noh-Varr was in this comic, and he wasn't killed off. That's a good thing, right? However there were A LOT of little things in this comic that were WAY off. First off, I respect that the Dread Lord BENDIS at least tried to keep Noh-Varr close to the way Grant Morrison created him. BENDIS did get a number of things about Noh-Varr correct, however he managed to butcher a lot about Noh-Varr as well. First off, why was Noh-Varr carrying his weapons around in a bag? Noh-Varr has access to any weapon he requires due to his futuristic gauntlets. In other words, Noh-Varr doesn't need to carry any weapons around in a bag, his gauntlets can create any weapons he needs! Next up, and most galling, is the appearance of the Supreme Intelligence... Um, BENDIS, the Supreme Intelligence isn't the leader of the Kree anymore, the Inhumans are. Not only that, but he's kind of dead.... So Noh-Varr contacting, and receiving Nega-Bands from the dead Supreme Intellegence is definitely pretty impressive. Finally, the end of this comic pretty much spoiled Captain America Reborn BIG TIME! Unless I'm TOTALLY wrong, Bucky(dressed as Captain America)and Steve Rogers are watching Noh-Varr from a distance... That's a REALLY big problem considering the fact that Steve hasn't officially come back yet!!! Not only that, but this issue pretty much tells us who will be wearing the Captain America outfit(Bucky)and who won't be(Steve). Besides all that, I was glad that it seems Noh-Varr does still have a place in the Marvel Universe, hopefully though, where ever he does end up will be far away from BENDIS!
Score: 6 out of 10.
So that's Noh-Varr's new costume. I don't think I like it...
What Happened: We discover that after Marvel Boy(Noh-Varr)abandoned the Dark Avengers after learning they were all either criminals or insane(or is some cases both!)he began trying to contact the Kree Supreme Intelligence for orders. Having no success, Noh-Varr decides to try to figure out what humans want and why they act the way they do. While sitting in a park eating raw eggs, Noh-Varr witnesses a break up between a woman and her boyfriend. Noh-Varr approaches the woman to try to understand what was going on when the Sentry appears in the air above Noh-Varr demanding that he returns to the Dark Avengers with him. Noh-Varr attacks Sentry with some of his fancy, futuristic Kree weaponry, but that only serves to annoy Sentry, who ultimately gets a hold of Noh-Varr. Before Sentry can do any real damage to Noh-Varr, the woman Noh-Varr was conversing with earlier blasts Sentry out of the sky with a discarded weapon of Noh-Varr's(more on that later...). Sentry is forced to abandon the battle in order to avoid the blast, and Noh-Varr grabs his bag of weapons and escapes. Noh-Varr then heads to one of his safe houses and successfully contacts the Supreme Intelligence(more on that later...). The Supreme Intelligence decides that it will be Noh-Varr's job to watch over humanity, and to help him accomplish that duty the Supreme Intelligence fits Noh-Varr with a brand new set of Nega-Bands. Osborn and his Dark Avengers discover they can no longer track Noh-Varr(because of the Bands), and Noh-Varr tracks down the woman from earlier and says good-bye for now. This issue ends with Captain America and a blond guy named "Steve"(more on that later...)watching Noh-Varr from a distance, trying to decide if they should attempt to contact him and make him a member of their Norman Osborn resistance group.
What I Thought: Well, on the bright side Noh-Varr was in this comic, and he wasn't killed off. That's a good thing, right? However there were A LOT of little things in this comic that were WAY off. First off, I respect that the Dread Lord BENDIS at least tried to keep Noh-Varr close to the way Grant Morrison created him. BENDIS did get a number of things about Noh-Varr correct, however he managed to butcher a lot about Noh-Varr as well. First off, why was Noh-Varr carrying his weapons around in a bag? Noh-Varr has access to any weapon he requires due to his futuristic gauntlets. In other words, Noh-Varr doesn't need to carry any weapons around in a bag, his gauntlets can create any weapons he needs! Next up, and most galling, is the appearance of the Supreme Intelligence... Um, BENDIS, the Supreme Intelligence isn't the leader of the Kree anymore, the Inhumans are. Not only that, but he's kind of dead.... So Noh-Varr contacting, and receiving Nega-Bands from the dead Supreme Intellegence is definitely pretty impressive. Finally, the end of this comic pretty much spoiled Captain America Reborn BIG TIME! Unless I'm TOTALLY wrong, Bucky(dressed as Captain America)and Steve Rogers are watching Noh-Varr from a distance... That's a REALLY big problem considering the fact that Steve hasn't officially come back yet!!! Not only that, but this issue pretty much tells us who will be wearing the Captain America outfit(Bucky)and who won't be(Steve). Besides all that, I was glad that it seems Noh-Varr does still have a place in the Marvel Universe, hopefully though, where ever he does end up will be far away from BENDIS!
Score: 6 out of 10.
So that's Noh-Varr's new costume. I don't think I like it...
A Quick Look at Justice League of America #40
Writer: James Robinson. Pencils: Mark Bagley.
What Happened: In the wrecked Hall of Justice, Black Lanterns Steel and Vibe(from the Justice League Detroit)attack Vixen and Gypsy, while Black Lantern Dr. Light battles Dr. Light. The BL's basically control the fight from the first page onward, and the heroes wind up finding themselves in some severe jeopardy. Things ultimately turn around when BL Dr. Light makes some comments about Dr. Lights children, which causes her to cut lose and utterly annihilate BL Dr. Light. From there, Dr. Light lends a hand to Vixen and Gypsy and destroys BL Vibe and BL Steel before collapsing in a heap. At that moment Zatanna teleports in and informs the team that she was able to defeat BL Zatara before she also passes out from exhaustion. This issue ends with Gypsy standing guard over her fallen teammates.
What I Thought: Meh. Same old, same old here. You know, for evil, undead power ring slinging zombies the Black Lanterns sure haven't been putting on a very good showing for themselves lately. It seems every BN x-over issue I've been reading lately has been ending in the exact same way. I mean come on, you're telling me that the BL's couldn't even kill ONE stinking member of this poor man's JLA? Jeez, if the BL's couldn't take care of the motley crew in this comic what hope do they really have in winning the real war? Umm, other then that I really don't have too much to say... I think I'll take a couple of days worth of a break from the BN x-over stuff and go read a few Marvel books, that way hopefully by the time I go back to the DC BN comics I'll(hopefully)be a little bit more excited for this storyline.
Score: 6 out of 10.
Dr. Light, once a pig, always a pig.
What Happened: In the wrecked Hall of Justice, Black Lanterns Steel and Vibe(from the Justice League Detroit)attack Vixen and Gypsy, while Black Lantern Dr. Light battles Dr. Light. The BL's basically control the fight from the first page onward, and the heroes wind up finding themselves in some severe jeopardy. Things ultimately turn around when BL Dr. Light makes some comments about Dr. Lights children, which causes her to cut lose and utterly annihilate BL Dr. Light. From there, Dr. Light lends a hand to Vixen and Gypsy and destroys BL Vibe and BL Steel before collapsing in a heap. At that moment Zatanna teleports in and informs the team that she was able to defeat BL Zatara before she also passes out from exhaustion. This issue ends with Gypsy standing guard over her fallen teammates.
What I Thought: Meh. Same old, same old here. You know, for evil, undead power ring slinging zombies the Black Lanterns sure haven't been putting on a very good showing for themselves lately. It seems every BN x-over issue I've been reading lately has been ending in the exact same way. I mean come on, you're telling me that the BL's couldn't even kill ONE stinking member of this poor man's JLA? Jeez, if the BL's couldn't take care of the motley crew in this comic what hope do they really have in winning the real war? Umm, other then that I really don't have too much to say... I think I'll take a couple of days worth of a break from the BN x-over stuff and go read a few Marvel books, that way hopefully by the time I go back to the DC BN comics I'll(hopefully)be a little bit more excited for this storyline.
Score: 6 out of 10.
Dr. Light, once a pig, always a pig.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Quick Look at REBELS #11
Writer: Tony Bedard. Pencils: Claude St. Aubin.
What Happened: Having become a member of the Sinestro Corps at the end of last issue, Dox's first act as a member of the Corps is to completely disregard a distress signal being sent out by Sinestro himself... HA! Black Lantern Stealth tries to attack Dox, but he simply blasts her in half with his yellow power ring, figuring that would be enough to end her menace. BL Stealth regenerates from that and for the first time maybe ever, Dox seems truly surprised. BL Harbinger murders a Sinestro Corps member which causes Adam Strange to teleport the non-flying members of REBELS to a nearby planet away from the BL's. Dox blows a hole through BL Stealth's head, and takes the two remaining Sinestro corps members to the nearby planet to regroup. Dox meets up with his REBELS teammates and they try to figure out a way to kill the BL's, but end up being assaulted by BL Harbinger, BL Stealth and the dead Sinestro Corps member from earlier. Meanwhile, Dox's son, Brainiac 3, creates a huge intergalactic teleporter for his new master, Starro the Conqueror. Starro demands that Brainiac 3 opens a portal to his missing Vanguard members(they were killed by BL Stealth last issue), and upon the portal opening, the four members of Starro's Vanguard rush through the portal, now Black Lanterns and prepare to attack their former master. Dox and company continue to try to hold off the BL's, but are rapidly losing ground. At that moment, a teleportational portal opens near Dox, and Brainiac 3, Starro, and Smite(Starro's bodyguard)leap out, followed closely by the four Black Lantern members of Starro's Vanguard. Dox gets over to his son and the two put their heads together and try to figure out a way to damage/destroy the BL's. The two Brainiacs decide to create a device that will alter Adam Strange's gun to emit a green blast that would mimic a Green Lantern's ring, have Wildstar pour energy into Adam and at the same time have Dox add the power of his Sinestro ring to the attack. After this gambit fails, Dox simply decides to throw all of the Black Lanterns as well as Starro and company back into the intergalactic portal in the hopes that they would all kill each other. Dox tries to reason with his son, but is unable to thanks to Starro's influence, so he tosses Brainiac 3 into the portal as well before sealing it up. Sinestro once again sends a distress signal out through Dox's yellow power ring, and Dox once again disregards it. This second refusal to follow Sinestro's orders causes the ring to reject Dox for insubordination, and it leaves to locate a more pliable individual. This issue ends with Dox deciding he's had enough of Starro and that instead of hiding from him he will take the fight directly to the Conqueror.
What I Thought: Although this comic was basically a battle royal between the REBELS and the Black Lanterns, it did manage to further the Starro storyline, which is an impressive feat. After witnessing his son under the thrall of Starro, Dox now seems determined to confront and kill Starro once and for all. The eventual confrontation between Starro and Dox should be spectacular. Although Dox simply teleporting the Black Lanterns away was a bit anti-climatic, I can live with it. Let's face it, it's not like I haven't seen a Black Lantern get killed before!
Score: 8 out of 10.
Hmm, I've GOT to try to work the term "organic trash" into a conversation somehow tomorrow...
What Happened: Having become a member of the Sinestro Corps at the end of last issue, Dox's first act as a member of the Corps is to completely disregard a distress signal being sent out by Sinestro himself... HA! Black Lantern Stealth tries to attack Dox, but he simply blasts her in half with his yellow power ring, figuring that would be enough to end her menace. BL Stealth regenerates from that and for the first time maybe ever, Dox seems truly surprised. BL Harbinger murders a Sinestro Corps member which causes Adam Strange to teleport the non-flying members of REBELS to a nearby planet away from the BL's. Dox blows a hole through BL Stealth's head, and takes the two remaining Sinestro corps members to the nearby planet to regroup. Dox meets up with his REBELS teammates and they try to figure out a way to kill the BL's, but end up being assaulted by BL Harbinger, BL Stealth and the dead Sinestro Corps member from earlier. Meanwhile, Dox's son, Brainiac 3, creates a huge intergalactic teleporter for his new master, Starro the Conqueror. Starro demands that Brainiac 3 opens a portal to his missing Vanguard members(they were killed by BL Stealth last issue), and upon the portal opening, the four members of Starro's Vanguard rush through the portal, now Black Lanterns and prepare to attack their former master. Dox and company continue to try to hold off the BL's, but are rapidly losing ground. At that moment, a teleportational portal opens near Dox, and Brainiac 3, Starro, and Smite(Starro's bodyguard)leap out, followed closely by the four Black Lantern members of Starro's Vanguard. Dox gets over to his son and the two put their heads together and try to figure out a way to damage/destroy the BL's. The two Brainiacs decide to create a device that will alter Adam Strange's gun to emit a green blast that would mimic a Green Lantern's ring, have Wildstar pour energy into Adam and at the same time have Dox add the power of his Sinestro ring to the attack. After this gambit fails, Dox simply decides to throw all of the Black Lanterns as well as Starro and company back into the intergalactic portal in the hopes that they would all kill each other. Dox tries to reason with his son, but is unable to thanks to Starro's influence, so he tosses Brainiac 3 into the portal as well before sealing it up. Sinestro once again sends a distress signal out through Dox's yellow power ring, and Dox once again disregards it. This second refusal to follow Sinestro's orders causes the ring to reject Dox for insubordination, and it leaves to locate a more pliable individual. This issue ends with Dox deciding he's had enough of Starro and that instead of hiding from him he will take the fight directly to the Conqueror.
What I Thought: Although this comic was basically a battle royal between the REBELS and the Black Lanterns, it did manage to further the Starro storyline, which is an impressive feat. After witnessing his son under the thrall of Starro, Dox now seems determined to confront and kill Starro once and for all. The eventual confrontation between Starro and Dox should be spectacular. Although Dox simply teleporting the Black Lanterns away was a bit anti-climatic, I can live with it. Let's face it, it's not like I haven't seen a Black Lantern get killed before!
Score: 8 out of 10.
Hmm, I've GOT to try to work the term "organic trash" into a conversation somehow tomorrow...
A Quick Look at Booster Gold #27
Writer: Dan Jurgens. Artists: Mike Norton, Norm Rapmund and Dan Jurgens.
What Happened: Booster is still dumbfounded by the sight of Black Lantern Blue Beetle, until Skeets alerts him to the fact that BL Blue Beetle isn't the real Ted Kord, but an evil zombie pretending to be Ted. Together with the fake Blue Beetle and Supernova, Booster tries to stop BL Blue Beetle, but the trio have very little success. Booster decides to take a time out, hops in a time sphere and teleports back to Rip Hunter's lab. Rip and Booster get into an argument(as usual), which is broken up by Skeets, who shows Booster the message from Barry Allen detailing who the Black Lanterns are and what their weaknesses are. Booster decides to take the fake Blue Beetle and Skeets with him to Ted Kord's laboratory, where Booster is hoping to find something which will help him combat the BL's. After discovering what he was looking for, Booster teleports back to BL Blue Beetle only seconds after he left in the first place. Fake Blue Beetle and Skeets use a light generating gun created by Ted to weaken BL Blue Beetle, while Booster blasts the Black power ring off of BL Beetle's hand. With the ring temporarily disconnected, Booster grabs BL Beetle, flies into the time sphere and leaves. The ring, unable to locate BL Beetle leaves Earth in order to search for a new host. Booster and fake Beetle head to Vanishing Point(which is immune to the flow of time)and bury BL Beetle, figuring that the BL rings wouldn't be able to pierce through the time/space barrier. Booster then reminisces about Ted some more, and this issue ends in the past where Booster's time lost sister is about to settle down in Coast City, right before it was annihilated by Cyborg Superman during the Reign of the Supermen storyline.
What I Thought: You know, this was a decent issue, but I've got to say, I'm starting to get a little bit burnt out by all of the Blackest Night x-over books I've been reading lately... I still have three more BN x-over books to get to before the end of tonight! The BN stuff was the same as most of the other BN books, so instead of dwelling on those parts, I'll instead look at the Booster Gold stuff. In this issue we learn that apparently Rip Hunter is the son of Booster(!!!). Now, of course this could be misdirection on Dan's part, but with Rip calling Booster "dad" after Booster leaves, it seems pretty straight forward. Personally I don't like this reveal at all, I prefer Rip as a complete mystery, in my opinion he's a character who should never have a past/origin. With that said though, I'll leave an open mind on the Booster/Rip situation until I see how it plays out. The other thing was the end where we discover that Booster's lost sister, Michelle is headed to Coast City before it was wiped off the map by Cyborg Superman. I can't wait for that storyline to get underway! That's exactly the type of event Booster should be involved in. My favorite thing about this comic is Booster traveling back into DC's past and dealing with the big storylines that have come before. If done correctly, the next storyline could be epic.
Score: 7 out of 10.
You know, this issue caused me to miss Ted Kord even more!
What Happened: Booster is still dumbfounded by the sight of Black Lantern Blue Beetle, until Skeets alerts him to the fact that BL Blue Beetle isn't the real Ted Kord, but an evil zombie pretending to be Ted. Together with the fake Blue Beetle and Supernova, Booster tries to stop BL Blue Beetle, but the trio have very little success. Booster decides to take a time out, hops in a time sphere and teleports back to Rip Hunter's lab. Rip and Booster get into an argument(as usual), which is broken up by Skeets, who shows Booster the message from Barry Allen detailing who the Black Lanterns are and what their weaknesses are. Booster decides to take the fake Blue Beetle and Skeets with him to Ted Kord's laboratory, where Booster is hoping to find something which will help him combat the BL's. After discovering what he was looking for, Booster teleports back to BL Blue Beetle only seconds after he left in the first place. Fake Blue Beetle and Skeets use a light generating gun created by Ted to weaken BL Blue Beetle, while Booster blasts the Black power ring off of BL Beetle's hand. With the ring temporarily disconnected, Booster grabs BL Beetle, flies into the time sphere and leaves. The ring, unable to locate BL Beetle leaves Earth in order to search for a new host. Booster and fake Beetle head to Vanishing Point(which is immune to the flow of time)and bury BL Beetle, figuring that the BL rings wouldn't be able to pierce through the time/space barrier. Booster then reminisces about Ted some more, and this issue ends in the past where Booster's time lost sister is about to settle down in Coast City, right before it was annihilated by Cyborg Superman during the Reign of the Supermen storyline.
What I Thought: You know, this was a decent issue, but I've got to say, I'm starting to get a little bit burnt out by all of the Blackest Night x-over books I've been reading lately... I still have three more BN x-over books to get to before the end of tonight! The BN stuff was the same as most of the other BN books, so instead of dwelling on those parts, I'll instead look at the Booster Gold stuff. In this issue we learn that apparently Rip Hunter is the son of Booster(!!!). Now, of course this could be misdirection on Dan's part, but with Rip calling Booster "dad" after Booster leaves, it seems pretty straight forward. Personally I don't like this reveal at all, I prefer Rip as a complete mystery, in my opinion he's a character who should never have a past/origin. With that said though, I'll leave an open mind on the Booster/Rip situation until I see how it plays out. The other thing was the end where we discover that Booster's lost sister, Michelle is headed to Coast City before it was wiped off the map by Cyborg Superman. I can't wait for that storyline to get underway! That's exactly the type of event Booster should be involved in. My favorite thing about this comic is Booster traveling back into DC's past and dealing with the big storylines that have come before. If done correctly, the next storyline could be epic.
Score: 7 out of 10.
You know, this issue caused me to miss Ted Kord even more!
A Quick Look at Outsiders #25
Writer: Peter Tomasi. Pencils: Fernando Pasarin and Derec Donovan.
What Happened: This issue gets underway with Black Lantern Terra showing her true colors by attacking her brother Geo-Force and his team of Outsiders. Meanwhile, Katana, Halo, Creeper and Owlman are stuck battling Katana's Black Lantern husband and children. After plunging her sword into her dead husband, Katana learns all about Nekron and his plans for the Black Lanterns. While that is going on, Halo uses her light powers to completely destroy Katana's dead children. Halo then destroys Katana's husband before heading back to base to help Geo-Force and the rest of the Outsiders. BL Terra basically has her way with Geo-Force and company and is about to tear out Geo-Force's heart when Halo arrives. Halo takes BL Terra's ring away and Geo-Force turns BL Terra to stone, ending her threat. Before the heroes can celebrate, Halo suddenly transforms into pure light and vanishes unexpectedly. This issue ends with a quick rundown of what the remaining members of the team did after the events of Blackest Night.
What I Thought: This was a fast, fun and enjoyable Blackest Night x-over issue. It was pretty much an all-action issue, with Peter wrapping up his writing run and giving incoming writer(and current DC Executive Editor)Dan Didio a clean slate to do what he wants with the team starting next issue. Besides that, there really isn't too much more to say. If you want to see the Outsiders throw down with Black Lanterns then this is the comic book for you!
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Black Lantern Terra pulling the dual Black Lantern symbols out of the ground is one cool visual.
What Happened: This issue gets underway with Black Lantern Terra showing her true colors by attacking her brother Geo-Force and his team of Outsiders. Meanwhile, Katana, Halo, Creeper and Owlman are stuck battling Katana's Black Lantern husband and children. After plunging her sword into her dead husband, Katana learns all about Nekron and his plans for the Black Lanterns. While that is going on, Halo uses her light powers to completely destroy Katana's dead children. Halo then destroys Katana's husband before heading back to base to help Geo-Force and the rest of the Outsiders. BL Terra basically has her way with Geo-Force and company and is about to tear out Geo-Force's heart when Halo arrives. Halo takes BL Terra's ring away and Geo-Force turns BL Terra to stone, ending her threat. Before the heroes can celebrate, Halo suddenly transforms into pure light and vanishes unexpectedly. This issue ends with a quick rundown of what the remaining members of the team did after the events of Blackest Night.
What I Thought: This was a fast, fun and enjoyable Blackest Night x-over issue. It was pretty much an all-action issue, with Peter wrapping up his writing run and giving incoming writer(and current DC Executive Editor)Dan Didio a clean slate to do what he wants with the team starting next issue. Besides that, there really isn't too much more to say. If you want to see the Outsiders throw down with Black Lanterns then this is the comic book for you!
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Black Lantern Terra pulling the dual Black Lantern symbols out of the ground is one cool visual.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A Quick Look at Blackest Night Flash #1(of 3). Plus, as a bonus, a rant about Saint Barry Allen!
Writer: Geoff Johns. Artist: Scott Kolins.
What Happened: This issue takes place sometime during Blackest Night before issue #5(which came out a few weeks ago)and after Flash: Rebirth #6(which hasn't come out yet)... Hmm... Anyway, this issue begins with Barry Allen making like Paul Revere warning the heroes of Earth that the Black Lanterns are coming. He warns them that the BL's feed off of emotions, so try not to get emotional when confronted by a BL... Easier said then done! Barry winds up running into Black Lantern Reverse Flash, who is dead even though he's currently menacing Barry in Flash: Rebirth, which hasn't concluded yet... Barry keeps his emotions in check and tosses BL Reverse Flash away, running to... Oh no... Gorilla City... Upon arriving in Gorilla City, Barry spots his old friend, Solovar, who is now a rampaging Black Lantern. The sight of BL Solovar throws Barry into a rage, and he attacks the dead monkey king in a frenzy. Ultimately Barry reins in his emotions and scatters BL Solovar across the Indian Ocean. From there Barry is contacted by Nekron(?)and he realizes that he has to get to Coast City immediately. Meanwhile, the dead Rogues of the Flash have all headed to Iron Heights prison. Upon learning his dead sister is one of the rampaging ghouls, Captain Cold decides to attack the dead Rogues with his band of Rogues, ending this issue.
What I Thought: Ugh, this was one of the worst Geoff Johns written comic books I've read in quite some time, if not ever! It basically had everything I hate about a Flash comic... I'm STILL not sold on Barry Allen, and the fact that he is running around bossing around the other members of the Flash family left a bad taste in my mouth. Barry's been dead for a mess of years, shouldn't he take a back seat to Wally, who has been a super-hero for a longer period of time then Barry? Uh-oh, I feel a rant coming on... Barry Allen became the Flash in 1956 and died in 1985. Simple arithmetic tells me he was the Flash for a grand total of 29 years. On the other hand, Wally West became the Flash in 1986 and is still the Flash today, in 2009, meaning he's been the Flash for 23 years, nearly as long as Barry. But wait, Wally debut in 1959 as Kid Flash, meaning that he was Kid Flash for 27 years before he took up the Flash mantle. That means that Wally has been a super-hero for a grand total of 50 years! That's nearly TWICE as long as Barry!!! Why the HELL is everybody in the Flash family looking to Barry for advice?!? Wally is a WAY more seasoned hero then Barry is! So yeah, Geoff hero worshiping of Barry Allen is really starting to get under my skin. Besides the fact that this issue was all Barry, all the time, we also had Barry visiting Gorilla City! Anybody who has read my blog for any length of time probably knows that I HATE DC's bizarre subculture of talking gorillas. Who the hell thought talking gorillas were a good idea? I mean, yeah, John Broome is a true comic book legend, but what was he thinking when he decided to create a race of telepathic gorillas!?! *Sigh* Well, this became less of a look at BN Flash #1, and more a post about what I think is wrong with the Flash family of comic books... Oh well, now that I've gotten all of that stuff off my chest I won't bother complaining about it again... Until Flash: Rebirth #6 comes out that is!
Score: 3 1/2 out of 10.
Barry Allen vs. a dead talking gorilla... My worst nightmare come to life...
What Happened: This issue takes place sometime during Blackest Night before issue #5(which came out a few weeks ago)and after Flash: Rebirth #6(which hasn't come out yet)... Hmm... Anyway, this issue begins with Barry Allen making like Paul Revere warning the heroes of Earth that the Black Lanterns are coming. He warns them that the BL's feed off of emotions, so try not to get emotional when confronted by a BL... Easier said then done! Barry winds up running into Black Lantern Reverse Flash, who is dead even though he's currently menacing Barry in Flash: Rebirth, which hasn't concluded yet... Barry keeps his emotions in check and tosses BL Reverse Flash away, running to... Oh no... Gorilla City... Upon arriving in Gorilla City, Barry spots his old friend, Solovar, who is now a rampaging Black Lantern. The sight of BL Solovar throws Barry into a rage, and he attacks the dead monkey king in a frenzy. Ultimately Barry reins in his emotions and scatters BL Solovar across the Indian Ocean. From there Barry is contacted by Nekron(?)and he realizes that he has to get to Coast City immediately. Meanwhile, the dead Rogues of the Flash have all headed to Iron Heights prison. Upon learning his dead sister is one of the rampaging ghouls, Captain Cold decides to attack the dead Rogues with his band of Rogues, ending this issue.
What I Thought: Ugh, this was one of the worst Geoff Johns written comic books I've read in quite some time, if not ever! It basically had everything I hate about a Flash comic... I'm STILL not sold on Barry Allen, and the fact that he is running around bossing around the other members of the Flash family left a bad taste in my mouth. Barry's been dead for a mess of years, shouldn't he take a back seat to Wally, who has been a super-hero for a longer period of time then Barry? Uh-oh, I feel a rant coming on... Barry Allen became the Flash in 1956 and died in 1985. Simple arithmetic tells me he was the Flash for a grand total of 29 years. On the other hand, Wally West became the Flash in 1986 and is still the Flash today, in 2009, meaning he's been the Flash for 23 years, nearly as long as Barry. But wait, Wally debut in 1959 as Kid Flash, meaning that he was Kid Flash for 27 years before he took up the Flash mantle. That means that Wally has been a super-hero for a grand total of 50 years! That's nearly TWICE as long as Barry!!! Why the HELL is everybody in the Flash family looking to Barry for advice?!? Wally is a WAY more seasoned hero then Barry is! So yeah, Geoff hero worshiping of Barry Allen is really starting to get under my skin. Besides the fact that this issue was all Barry, all the time, we also had Barry visiting Gorilla City! Anybody who has read my blog for any length of time probably knows that I HATE DC's bizarre subculture of talking gorillas. Who the hell thought talking gorillas were a good idea? I mean, yeah, John Broome is a true comic book legend, but what was he thinking when he decided to create a race of telepathic gorillas!?! *Sigh* Well, this became less of a look at BN Flash #1, and more a post about what I think is wrong with the Flash family of comic books... Oh well, now that I've gotten all of that stuff off my chest I won't bother complaining about it again... Until Flash: Rebirth #6 comes out that is!
Score: 3 1/2 out of 10.
Barry Allen vs. a dead talking gorilla... My worst nightmare come to life...
Monday, December 21, 2009
Dark X-Men #2(of 5)
Writer: Paul Cornell. Pencils: Leonard Kirk.
What Happened: Picking up from last issue, X-Man(Nate Grey)manages to pull himself together long enough to realize he's standing in a room with his arch-foe, Dark Beast, and Mystique, who has taken the form of his mother, Jean Grey. Nate immediately attacks Dark Beast, and Mystique(as Jean)tries to reason with Nate. While Mystique is talking with Nate, he ends up dissipating into energy again and disappearing. Dark Beast and Mystique collect the other members of the team and report back to their leader, Norman "Marvel" Osborn. Osborn decides that if left free Nate is too great a threat to his plans, so he decides to send the Dark X-Men to capture Nate. Once captured, Osborn can then place Nate inside the Omega Machine, where he will permanently power Omega. Upon leaving the meeting with Osborn, Mystique tries to convince first Omega, and then Mimic that they should help Nate as opposed to capturing him. Mystique figures Nate would be able to remove the implant Osborn had placed in her head in order to keep her under his thumb. However, neither man is receptive to Mystique's plan. Osborn gathers a whole slew of non-mutant humans with psionic abilities and tells the Dark X-Men to use them to discover where Nate will next strike, so they can lay a trap. The leader of the psionics reaches onto the astral plane in an attempt to locate Nate's consciousness, but winds up getting himself and all of his followers drained of their mental abilities. This issue ends with Dark Beast using the brain of one of the psionics to get a glimpse of Nate. The Dark X-Men discover, much to their chagrin, that Nate is now fully aware of what happened in the Marvel Universe during his absence, and he is none to happy about it!
What I Thought: First off, before I go any further, I have to laugh, because Nate's reaction to the current direction the Marvel Universe has taken mirrors my own feelings! See, there IS a reason I selected X-Man75 as my blogging name! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, as I'm sure most people who know me knew I would. Nate was his regular impulsive, anger prone self, and Paul mentioned that Nate's powers rivaled that of the Sentry, which definitely put a huge smile on my face. I'm glad Paul did his homework on Nate before deciding to bring him back. Although many Marvel fans probably don't realize it, Nate is one of the most powerful beings in all of the Marvel Universe. Fanboy gushing aside, this was a very well done comic book, with a few different storylines now getting underway. Will the Dark X-Men manage to capture Nate? Will Mystique betray the team and join up with Nate? What part(if any)will the X-Men play in this mini-series? Considering this is only the second part of this mini, I'm VERY happy with the way things have gone thus far. Thank you Paul, keep up the good work!
Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Hey, most of the time I scream the exact same thing after reading a Marvel comic book!
What Happened: Picking up from last issue, X-Man(Nate Grey)manages to pull himself together long enough to realize he's standing in a room with his arch-foe, Dark Beast, and Mystique, who has taken the form of his mother, Jean Grey. Nate immediately attacks Dark Beast, and Mystique(as Jean)tries to reason with Nate. While Mystique is talking with Nate, he ends up dissipating into energy again and disappearing. Dark Beast and Mystique collect the other members of the team and report back to their leader, Norman "Marvel" Osborn. Osborn decides that if left free Nate is too great a threat to his plans, so he decides to send the Dark X-Men to capture Nate. Once captured, Osborn can then place Nate inside the Omega Machine, where he will permanently power Omega. Upon leaving the meeting with Osborn, Mystique tries to convince first Omega, and then Mimic that they should help Nate as opposed to capturing him. Mystique figures Nate would be able to remove the implant Osborn had placed in her head in order to keep her under his thumb. However, neither man is receptive to Mystique's plan. Osborn gathers a whole slew of non-mutant humans with psionic abilities and tells the Dark X-Men to use them to discover where Nate will next strike, so they can lay a trap. The leader of the psionics reaches onto the astral plane in an attempt to locate Nate's consciousness, but winds up getting himself and all of his followers drained of their mental abilities. This issue ends with Dark Beast using the brain of one of the psionics to get a glimpse of Nate. The Dark X-Men discover, much to their chagrin, that Nate is now fully aware of what happened in the Marvel Universe during his absence, and he is none to happy about it!
What I Thought: First off, before I go any further, I have to laugh, because Nate's reaction to the current direction the Marvel Universe has taken mirrors my own feelings! See, there IS a reason I selected X-Man75 as my blogging name! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue, as I'm sure most people who know me knew I would. Nate was his regular impulsive, anger prone self, and Paul mentioned that Nate's powers rivaled that of the Sentry, which definitely put a huge smile on my face. I'm glad Paul did his homework on Nate before deciding to bring him back. Although many Marvel fans probably don't realize it, Nate is one of the most powerful beings in all of the Marvel Universe. Fanboy gushing aside, this was a very well done comic book, with a few different storylines now getting underway. Will the Dark X-Men manage to capture Nate? Will Mystique betray the team and join up with Nate? What part(if any)will the X-Men play in this mini-series? Considering this is only the second part of this mini, I'm VERY happy with the way things have gone thus far. Thank you Paul, keep up the good work!
Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Hey, most of the time I scream the exact same thing after reading a Marvel comic book!
A Quick Look at Teen Titans #77
Writer: J. T. Krul. Pencils: Joe Bennett.
What Happened: Deathstorke the Terminator is reading through the journal of his old, deceased friend, Wintergreen, reminiscing about times past. Upon taking a look out his window, Deathstroke is attacked by his daughter, Ravager(Rose Wilson). Deathstroke and Rose have a good old fashioned brawl, which ends when Deathstroke's oldest(and deadest)son, Grant Wilson(the first Ravager)shows up as an angry Black Lantern. BL Grant attacks Deathstroke while Rose stands by dumbfounded as to what to do. Should she help her hated father, or help the zombie brother she never knew. In the end, Rose lends a hand to Deathstroke and attacks BL Grant. Rose and BL Grant wind up brawling into the next room, while Deathstroke tries to clear the cobwebs. Before Deathstroke can go after his offspring, BL Wintergreen and BL Adeline(Deathstroke's dead wife)approach Deathstroke and tell him that he should just allow them to kill him, since that is the only way he'll ever truly be able to protect Rose from the bad luck that always seems to strike down everybody Deathstroke loves. In the next room, Rose and BL Grant continue their brawl, which finally ends when Rose lights the room on fire. This issue concludes with Rose's other brother, Jericho, emerging from Grant's flames... Wha?!?
What I Thought: Well, I can say with 100% certainty that I DID NOT expect this comic to end the way it did... Wow, Jericho? Really!?! I guess BL Grant must have tried to attack Jericho before he went after Deathstroke and Rose, and during that battle Jericho must have jumped into BL Grant's body. What other explanation is there? Of course that doesn't explain how/why Jericho's eyes were back, but either I missed the explanation for that one, it was never explained and will be explained next issue, or I'm not supposed to remember the fact that Vigilante poked Jericho's eyes out... Whatever the answer is, I'm just glad to see Jericho again, although I am a bit disheartened to see that he is still crazy. As a big fan of Deathstroke, I really enjoyed this comic. The more Deathstroke(and family)I get, the happier I am. This is another Blackest Night x-over that has me eagerly anticipating the next issue.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Well, I didn't see that one coming at all...
What Happened: Deathstorke the Terminator is reading through the journal of his old, deceased friend, Wintergreen, reminiscing about times past. Upon taking a look out his window, Deathstroke is attacked by his daughter, Ravager(Rose Wilson). Deathstroke and Rose have a good old fashioned brawl, which ends when Deathstroke's oldest(and deadest)son, Grant Wilson(the first Ravager)shows up as an angry Black Lantern. BL Grant attacks Deathstroke while Rose stands by dumbfounded as to what to do. Should she help her hated father, or help the zombie brother she never knew. In the end, Rose lends a hand to Deathstroke and attacks BL Grant. Rose and BL Grant wind up brawling into the next room, while Deathstroke tries to clear the cobwebs. Before Deathstroke can go after his offspring, BL Wintergreen and BL Adeline(Deathstroke's dead wife)approach Deathstroke and tell him that he should just allow them to kill him, since that is the only way he'll ever truly be able to protect Rose from the bad luck that always seems to strike down everybody Deathstroke loves. In the next room, Rose and BL Grant continue their brawl, which finally ends when Rose lights the room on fire. This issue concludes with Rose's other brother, Jericho, emerging from Grant's flames... Wha?!?
What I Thought: Well, I can say with 100% certainty that I DID NOT expect this comic to end the way it did... Wow, Jericho? Really!?! I guess BL Grant must have tried to attack Jericho before he went after Deathstroke and Rose, and during that battle Jericho must have jumped into BL Grant's body. What other explanation is there? Of course that doesn't explain how/why Jericho's eyes were back, but either I missed the explanation for that one, it was never explained and will be explained next issue, or I'm not supposed to remember the fact that Vigilante poked Jericho's eyes out... Whatever the answer is, I'm just glad to see Jericho again, although I am a bit disheartened to see that he is still crazy. As a big fan of Deathstroke, I really enjoyed this comic. The more Deathstroke(and family)I get, the happier I am. This is another Blackest Night x-over that has me eagerly anticipating the next issue.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Well, I didn't see that one coming at all...
A LAZY look at Teen Titans #76
Writer: Felicia D. Henderson. Pencils: Yildiray Cinar.
What I Thought: I really didn't think much of this story, but in my(and this comic's)defense, I wasn't able to read the prior issue(thanks to my STILL missing comic order...). Maybe if I had read the first part of this two part story things would have made a little bit more sense... Or maybe not. What do I know? Anyway, instead of actually giving this comic a number score like I normally do I'm going to take the cowards way out and give this comic a score of incomplete. When(IF!!!)I get the chance to read Teen Titans #75, I'll probably give this comic a proper review, until then, this is as good a review as I can give!
Umm, stuff happens here... And then some more stuff happens.
What I Thought: I really didn't think much of this story, but in my(and this comic's)defense, I wasn't able to read the prior issue(thanks to my STILL missing comic order...). Maybe if I had read the first part of this two part story things would have made a little bit more sense... Or maybe not. What do I know? Anyway, instead of actually giving this comic a number score like I normally do I'm going to take the cowards way out and give this comic a score of incomplete. When(IF!!!)I get the chance to read Teen Titans #75, I'll probably give this comic a proper review, until then, this is as good a review as I can give!
Umm, stuff happens here... And then some more stuff happens.
REBELS #10
Writer: Tony Bedard. Artist: Andy Clark.
What Happened: It's Blackest Night crossover time everybody! This issue begins with Stealth, the mother of Dox's son, being reanimated as a Black Lantern. From there we head to Dox's ship where Adam Strange and Captain Comet inform Dox that Black Lanterns are currently plaguing the universe. Although intrigued by the thought of "zombies with power rings", Dox decides that the first order of business is to rid the universe of the menace of Starro. While Dox is talking business with the earthlings, Bounder, one of the members of REBELS, rushes over and alerts Dox that Strata, her family and Dox's son, Lyrl, are all missing. Dox orders Bounder to retrieve Wildstar, the team's tracker, immediately. Meanwhile, Lyrl and Strata's family are standing face to face with Starro's big guns, the Vanguard. The Vanguard only want Lyrl alive, so they go to kill Strata and company. Lyrl tells them that he'll go peacefully with them provided they leave Strata and her family alone, which they do. The REBELS comb the planet searching for Lyrl, but find only Strata and her family. Dox demands to know what happened, and Strata explains that Lyrl went with Starro's forces, which sends Dox into a rage. Lyrl is sent by the Vanguard to Maltus, the planet Starro the Conqueror is currently operating from, and Lyrl is brought before the Conqueror himself. Starro has Lyrl fitted with one of his starfish and Lyrl pledges to serve Starro as a member of his Vanguard, provided Starro refers to him as Brainiac 3 from now on. Dox and his REBELS decide to evacuate the planet they were hiding out on since Starro obviously knew they were there and head towards Earth, since Lyrl's capture means Starro will be able to escape from the star system Dox had him trapped in. Starro's Vanguard spots Dox's ship trying to sneak away and immediately attacks it. Before the Vanguard can do any irreparable harm to the ship, BL Stealth intercedes and kills one of the Vanguard, tearing out it's heart. Upon seeing that sight, Dox decides to get the hell away from there, and he sends his ship into hyperspace. Upon exiting hyperspace several light years away, Dox and his REBELS find themselves trapped in the middle of a battle between the Sinestro Corps and Black Lantern Harbinger(!). BL Harbinger halts her attack on the Sinestro Corps long enough to destroy Dox's ship, as well as alerting BL Stealth as to Dox's whereabouts. BL Harbinger then resumes her assault on the Sinestro Corps members while BL Stealth attacks the stranded REBELS members. This issue ends with BL Harbinger killing one of the Sinestro Corps members and Dox becoming selected by the Sinestro ring to join the Sinestro Corps, an offer Dox is all to pleased to accept!
What I Thought: Although the Blackest Night stuff interfered with the main Starro storyline a little bit, this was still an exceptional issue of this series. So now Dox's son Lyrl, who's intelligence rivals that of his father, is serving under Starro. THAT is definitely going to provide Dox with some big time problems down the road. Now anything Dox does/plans, Lyrl will be able to counter for Starro. While I really liked Lyrl on the "good", non-Starro side in this storyline, I can see how placing him with Starro enhances the story and makes Starro into an even greater menace. Oh, and Dox as a member of the Sinestro Corps is a fantastic idea! I'm pretty sure Dox will get rid of the ring once the Blackest Night x-over stuff ends, but I'll definitely enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. Anyway, this was a great issue, as usual. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next issue!
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Dox + Sinestro Corps = AWESOME!!!
What Happened: It's Blackest Night crossover time everybody! This issue begins with Stealth, the mother of Dox's son, being reanimated as a Black Lantern. From there we head to Dox's ship where Adam Strange and Captain Comet inform Dox that Black Lanterns are currently plaguing the universe. Although intrigued by the thought of "zombies with power rings", Dox decides that the first order of business is to rid the universe of the menace of Starro. While Dox is talking business with the earthlings, Bounder, one of the members of REBELS, rushes over and alerts Dox that Strata, her family and Dox's son, Lyrl, are all missing. Dox orders Bounder to retrieve Wildstar, the team's tracker, immediately. Meanwhile, Lyrl and Strata's family are standing face to face with Starro's big guns, the Vanguard. The Vanguard only want Lyrl alive, so they go to kill Strata and company. Lyrl tells them that he'll go peacefully with them provided they leave Strata and her family alone, which they do. The REBELS comb the planet searching for Lyrl, but find only Strata and her family. Dox demands to know what happened, and Strata explains that Lyrl went with Starro's forces, which sends Dox into a rage. Lyrl is sent by the Vanguard to Maltus, the planet Starro the Conqueror is currently operating from, and Lyrl is brought before the Conqueror himself. Starro has Lyrl fitted with one of his starfish and Lyrl pledges to serve Starro as a member of his Vanguard, provided Starro refers to him as Brainiac 3 from now on. Dox and his REBELS decide to evacuate the planet they were hiding out on since Starro obviously knew they were there and head towards Earth, since Lyrl's capture means Starro will be able to escape from the star system Dox had him trapped in. Starro's Vanguard spots Dox's ship trying to sneak away and immediately attacks it. Before the Vanguard can do any irreparable harm to the ship, BL Stealth intercedes and kills one of the Vanguard, tearing out it's heart. Upon seeing that sight, Dox decides to get the hell away from there, and he sends his ship into hyperspace. Upon exiting hyperspace several light years away, Dox and his REBELS find themselves trapped in the middle of a battle between the Sinestro Corps and Black Lantern Harbinger(!). BL Harbinger halts her attack on the Sinestro Corps long enough to destroy Dox's ship, as well as alerting BL Stealth as to Dox's whereabouts. BL Harbinger then resumes her assault on the Sinestro Corps members while BL Stealth attacks the stranded REBELS members. This issue ends with BL Harbinger killing one of the Sinestro Corps members and Dox becoming selected by the Sinestro ring to join the Sinestro Corps, an offer Dox is all to pleased to accept!
What I Thought: Although the Blackest Night stuff interfered with the main Starro storyline a little bit, this was still an exceptional issue of this series. So now Dox's son Lyrl, who's intelligence rivals that of his father, is serving under Starro. THAT is definitely going to provide Dox with some big time problems down the road. Now anything Dox does/plans, Lyrl will be able to counter for Starro. While I really liked Lyrl on the "good", non-Starro side in this storyline, I can see how placing him with Starro enhances the story and makes Starro into an even greater menace. Oh, and Dox as a member of the Sinestro Corps is a fantastic idea! I'm pretty sure Dox will get rid of the ring once the Blackest Night x-over stuff ends, but I'll definitely enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. Anyway, this was a great issue, as usual. I'll be waiting impatiently for the next issue!
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Dox + Sinestro Corps = AWESOME!!!
REBELS #9
Writer: Tony Bedard. Pencils: Claude St. Aubin.
What Happened: We begin with the remaining Omega Men(Tigorr, Darkfire, Broot and Doc)searching through the homeworld of Starro the Conqueror in an attempt to discover what(if anything)can stop his rampage through the universe. Dox tries to convince former REBELS member Garv to join up with him, but fails miserably. Kanjar Ro calls Dox's ship and insults Xylon(the Dominator who has joined Dox's crew)before asking for assistance since Starro is poised and ready to attack Kanjar's planet. After being insulted by Kanjar, Xylon chooses to hang up as opposed to sending help. Dox explains to his son Lyrl that he sees him as nothing more then a potential weapon that could be used against him by Starro, which is the only reason Dox bothered to save Lyrl in the first place... Wow, how brunt... Needless to say, after hearing that, Lyrl runs off in a huff. Dox returns to his ship's command center and gets a transmission from Adam Strange and Captain Comet, who offer their assistance against Starro. The Omega Men wind up learning a little bit about Starro, but end up potentially giving away their cover in the process. Back on Ohor(Kanjar Ro's planet), Kanjar tries to reach the Gamma Gong, but before he can use it, the Gong is destroyed by the forces of Starro. Before Starro's men can capture Kanjar, Adam Strange teleports in and rescues the despot. Adam returns to Dox with Kanjar, which pisses Dox off since all he wanted from Ohor was the Gamma Gong, not Kanjar. Dox explains that in order to defeat Starro his motley crew has to collect three artifacts from three separate worlds, Dox then gives the REBELS 4 hours to prepare themselves before he sends them out on their missions. Three hours later, Garv, Strata and their child sneak away from Dox's ship, preferring to hide out then to battle Starro at Dox's side. Lyrl catches up with them, begging to go along with them since he wants no part of his father. This issue ends with the foursome running right into Starro's heralds, who were searching for Lyrl.
What I Thought: Damn do I love this series! Dox is officially one of my favorite characters now, this issue totally solidified that. Tony is really crafting one hell of a story here, fitting numerous characters into this series, without anybody really being out of place. I can honestly say there isn't any character here that I really don't like. Hell, I even like the Dominator! Next issue should be a blast with Starro's minions attempting to capture Lyrl, as well as a certain Blackest Night crossing over into these pages. Well, why talk about it, I might as well give the next issue a read right now!
Score: 9 out of 10.
And I thought my father was bad!
What Happened: We begin with the remaining Omega Men(Tigorr, Darkfire, Broot and Doc)searching through the homeworld of Starro the Conqueror in an attempt to discover what(if anything)can stop his rampage through the universe. Dox tries to convince former REBELS member Garv to join up with him, but fails miserably. Kanjar Ro calls Dox's ship and insults Xylon(the Dominator who has joined Dox's crew)before asking for assistance since Starro is poised and ready to attack Kanjar's planet. After being insulted by Kanjar, Xylon chooses to hang up as opposed to sending help. Dox explains to his son Lyrl that he sees him as nothing more then a potential weapon that could be used against him by Starro, which is the only reason Dox bothered to save Lyrl in the first place... Wow, how brunt... Needless to say, after hearing that, Lyrl runs off in a huff. Dox returns to his ship's command center and gets a transmission from Adam Strange and Captain Comet, who offer their assistance against Starro. The Omega Men wind up learning a little bit about Starro, but end up potentially giving away their cover in the process. Back on Ohor(Kanjar Ro's planet), Kanjar tries to reach the Gamma Gong, but before he can use it, the Gong is destroyed by the forces of Starro. Before Starro's men can capture Kanjar, Adam Strange teleports in and rescues the despot. Adam returns to Dox with Kanjar, which pisses Dox off since all he wanted from Ohor was the Gamma Gong, not Kanjar. Dox explains that in order to defeat Starro his motley crew has to collect three artifacts from three separate worlds, Dox then gives the REBELS 4 hours to prepare themselves before he sends them out on their missions. Three hours later, Garv, Strata and their child sneak away from Dox's ship, preferring to hide out then to battle Starro at Dox's side. Lyrl catches up with them, begging to go along with them since he wants no part of his father. This issue ends with the foursome running right into Starro's heralds, who were searching for Lyrl.
What I Thought: Damn do I love this series! Dox is officially one of my favorite characters now, this issue totally solidified that. Tony is really crafting one hell of a story here, fitting numerous characters into this series, without anybody really being out of place. I can honestly say there isn't any character here that I really don't like. Hell, I even like the Dominator! Next issue should be a blast with Starro's minions attempting to capture Lyrl, as well as a certain Blackest Night crossing over into these pages. Well, why talk about it, I might as well give the next issue a read right now!
Score: 9 out of 10.
And I thought my father was bad!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
A Quick Look at Outsiders #24
Writer: Peter Tomasi. Pencils: Fernando Pasarin.
What Happened: Fresh off of her appearance against the Titans, Black Lantern Terra heads to the headquarters of the Outsiders in order to talk(yes talk!)to her brother Geo-Force. BL Terra explains that she doesn't want to do the evil things her Black lantern ring is telling her to do and that she just wants to die and be forgotten again. BL Terra even allows the team to cut off her BL ring, which of course just reattaches itself to her again. Meanwhile, Halo, Katana and Creeper are driving Killer Croc back to prison when Katana's dead husband and sons attack her truck. Katana obviously wants to hear the Black Lantern versions of her family out, but Creeper and Halo are dubious of the BL's intentions and as such attack the BL trio. After watching the battle for a little bit, Katana realizes that these aren't her dead loved ones and this issue ends with Katana attacking her BL husband with her sword.
What I Thought: I have to admit that I loved BL Terra's attempts at gaining the Outsiders trust before attacking them. I mean, we all do realize that she IS going to attack them in the end, right? The stuff with Katana and company I really couldn't care less about, I know next to nothing about Katana, Halo and Creeper, so their plight doesn't move me much at all. I was hoping for a bit more from this comic, but all in all, this was a good Blackest Night x-over issue, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the next issue.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Damn tricky zombies!!!
What Happened: Fresh off of her appearance against the Titans, Black Lantern Terra heads to the headquarters of the Outsiders in order to talk(yes talk!)to her brother Geo-Force. BL Terra explains that she doesn't want to do the evil things her Black lantern ring is telling her to do and that she just wants to die and be forgotten again. BL Terra even allows the team to cut off her BL ring, which of course just reattaches itself to her again. Meanwhile, Halo, Katana and Creeper are driving Killer Croc back to prison when Katana's dead husband and sons attack her truck. Katana obviously wants to hear the Black Lantern versions of her family out, but Creeper and Halo are dubious of the BL's intentions and as such attack the BL trio. After watching the battle for a little bit, Katana realizes that these aren't her dead loved ones and this issue ends with Katana attacking her BL husband with her sword.
What I Thought: I have to admit that I loved BL Terra's attempts at gaining the Outsiders trust before attacking them. I mean, we all do realize that she IS going to attack them in the end, right? The stuff with Katana and company I really couldn't care less about, I know next to nothing about Katana, Halo and Creeper, so their plight doesn't move me much at all. I was hoping for a bit more from this comic, but all in all, this was a good Blackest Night x-over issue, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the next issue.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Damn tricky zombies!!!
A Quick Look at Batgirl #4
Writer: Bryan Q. Miller. Pencils: Lee Garbett.
What Happened: This issue was one of those basic, "A day in the life of" type of comic books. You know, "Meet Steph Brown. By day she's your basic college student, by night she's the fantastic Batgirl!" Steph waits for her mother to go to work at night, throws on her BG duds, halts a few random crimes, defeats Superman foe Livewire and heads back back home before dawn, barely getting any sleep before her mother wakes her up to go to school. Annnnd that's the long and short of this one.
What I Thought: For what it was, this was a good comic. The cover said it best, "Meet the new Batgirl!" That's pretty much what this book did, it introduced Steph to any fans who may not have known who she was. Was it a great comic book? Nah, but it did do exactly what I think it wanted to do, which is to show that while Steph is an experienced crime fighter, she does still have some ways to go.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Sure the suit is insulated, but what about Steph's face!?!
What Happened: This issue was one of those basic, "A day in the life of" type of comic books. You know, "Meet Steph Brown. By day she's your basic college student, by night she's the fantastic Batgirl!" Steph waits for her mother to go to work at night, throws on her BG duds, halts a few random crimes, defeats Superman foe Livewire and heads back back home before dawn, barely getting any sleep before her mother wakes her up to go to school. Annnnd that's the long and short of this one.
What I Thought: For what it was, this was a good comic. The cover said it best, "Meet the new Batgirl!" That's pretty much what this book did, it introduced Steph to any fans who may not have known who she was. Was it a great comic book? Nah, but it did do exactly what I think it wanted to do, which is to show that while Steph is an experienced crime fighter, she does still have some ways to go.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Sure the suit is insulated, but what about Steph's face!?!
A Quick Look at World's Finest #2(of 4)
Writer: Sterling Gates. Pencils: Ramon Bachs.
What Happened: The Parasite steals some Cyrogenic device from a Waynetech truck in Metropolis, which brings Robin(Damian Wayne)to town searching for him. Guardian spots Damian on a rooftop in Metropolis roughing up some z-list villain named Riot. Upon spotting Guardian, Damian drops Riot off the ledge of the building and takes off. Guardian saves the villain from a nasty fall, and winds up apprehending and arresting(HA!!!)Damian. Damian breaks free from his cuffs, KO's a few members of the science police, and makes good his escape. Guardian chases after the little menace and is met with a kick to the throat for his troubles. In the meanwhile, Parasite has brought the stolen cyro unit to Mr. Freeze with the intentions of putting Mon-El in it so Parasite could feed off of Mon-El's powers forever... You know, that's a REALLY good plan... Anyway, Guardian and Damian decide to put their differences aside and the two track the stolen cyro unit to Freeze and Parasite's underground lair. After a short battle, Freeze and Parasite wind up frozen solid, Guardian hands over the cyro unit to Damian, and Damian leaves to go back to Gotham, much to Guardian's relief. This issue ends with the Toyman sending one of his toys to spring Parasite and Freeze, while the Toyman himself is working on an enormous robot that looks half like Superman and half like Batman.
What I Thought: Damian notwithstanding, this was a pretty good comic. Have I mentioned lately that I hate Damian with a passion? Oh, I have? Well then, let's move on. I kind of wish this mini-series was going to last more then 4 parts, I really like the idea of this comic. Next issue stars Supergirl and Batgirl, which means it should be 50% better then this comic was. Why? Because Damian won't be in it!
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
I just don't understand how anybody can possibly like Damian... I just don't get it...
What Happened: The Parasite steals some Cyrogenic device from a Waynetech truck in Metropolis, which brings Robin(Damian Wayne)to town searching for him. Guardian spots Damian on a rooftop in Metropolis roughing up some z-list villain named Riot. Upon spotting Guardian, Damian drops Riot off the ledge of the building and takes off. Guardian saves the villain from a nasty fall, and winds up apprehending and arresting(HA!!!)Damian. Damian breaks free from his cuffs, KO's a few members of the science police, and makes good his escape. Guardian chases after the little menace and is met with a kick to the throat for his troubles. In the meanwhile, Parasite has brought the stolen cyro unit to Mr. Freeze with the intentions of putting Mon-El in it so Parasite could feed off of Mon-El's powers forever... You know, that's a REALLY good plan... Anyway, Guardian and Damian decide to put their differences aside and the two track the stolen cyro unit to Freeze and Parasite's underground lair. After a short battle, Freeze and Parasite wind up frozen solid, Guardian hands over the cyro unit to Damian, and Damian leaves to go back to Gotham, much to Guardian's relief. This issue ends with the Toyman sending one of his toys to spring Parasite and Freeze, while the Toyman himself is working on an enormous robot that looks half like Superman and half like Batman.
What I Thought: Damian notwithstanding, this was a pretty good comic. Have I mentioned lately that I hate Damian with a passion? Oh, I have? Well then, let's move on. I kind of wish this mini-series was going to last more then 4 parts, I really like the idea of this comic. Next issue stars Supergirl and Batgirl, which means it should be 50% better then this comic was. Why? Because Damian won't be in it!
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
I just don't understand how anybody can possibly like Damian... I just don't get it...
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Quick Look at Justice League of America #39
Writer: James Robinson. Pencils: Mark Bagley.
What Happened: The sad remains of the Justice League(Zatanna, Vixen, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Dr. Light and Gypsy)head to the Hall of Justice to see if they can intercept the reanimated dead villains they had stored there. Instead of finding villains they come across Zatanna's father, Black Lantern Zatara. Zatanna sends the team away and she has a magic war with her dead father. Dr. Light peels away from the rest of the team without any explanation and the rest of the team comes across Black Lantern Vibe, who apparently used to be a member of the Justice League Detroit. BL Vibe destroys Red Tornado and manages to tear out Plastic Man's heart, killing him. BL Vibe is soon joined by fellow dead JL Detroit member Black Lantern Steel. This issue concludes with Dr. Light finding Black Lantern Dr. Light(the evil one)and getting quickly knocked out by BL Dr. Light.
What I Thought: This was a good comic, nothing more, nothing less. I thought Plastic Man was killed a little bit too easily, but c'est la vie I guess. I had no earthly idea who Steel or Vibe were, and to be honest, I was only vaguely aware there even WAS a Justice League stationed out of Detroit, so that may have affected my enjoyment of this issue a little. Besides that, I'm looking forward to next issue and what should be a pretty good showdown between BL Dr. Light and the rest of the JLA.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Even though he's dead, Dr. Light is STILL a pervert!
What Happened: The sad remains of the Justice League(Zatanna, Vixen, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Dr. Light and Gypsy)head to the Hall of Justice to see if they can intercept the reanimated dead villains they had stored there. Instead of finding villains they come across Zatanna's father, Black Lantern Zatara. Zatanna sends the team away and she has a magic war with her dead father. Dr. Light peels away from the rest of the team without any explanation and the rest of the team comes across Black Lantern Vibe, who apparently used to be a member of the Justice League Detroit. BL Vibe destroys Red Tornado and manages to tear out Plastic Man's heart, killing him. BL Vibe is soon joined by fellow dead JL Detroit member Black Lantern Steel. This issue concludes with Dr. Light finding Black Lantern Dr. Light(the evil one)and getting quickly knocked out by BL Dr. Light.
What I Thought: This was a good comic, nothing more, nothing less. I thought Plastic Man was killed a little bit too easily, but c'est la vie I guess. I had no earthly idea who Steel or Vibe were, and to be honest, I was only vaguely aware there even WAS a Justice League stationed out of Detroit, so that may have affected my enjoyment of this issue a little. Besides that, I'm looking forward to next issue and what should be a pretty good showdown between BL Dr. Light and the rest of the JLA.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
Even though he's dead, Dr. Light is STILL a pervert!
A Quick Look at Dark Avengers #11
Writer: BENDIS. Art: Mike Deodato and Greg Horn.
What Happened: Norman "Marvel" Osborn finds himself and his Dark Avengers trapped in a world created by the Molecule Man. Osborn tries to reason with MM, but winds up getting psychologically tortured for his troubles. MM then proceeds to attack each member of the Dark Avengers one by one. Having dealt with all of the Dark Avengers, MM tries to figure out what he should do, fearing that his actions will cause Reed Richards to come down on him like the hand of god. While MM is pondering his situation, Victoria Hand, Osborn's second in command approaches MM and announces that HAMMER and the USA surrender to him, ending this issue.
What I Thought: The annoying ending notwithstanding(the US surrendering to the Molecule Man? Really!?!)this comic wasn't half bad. You know, I may rag on BENDIS alot, but giving credit where credit is due, he's done a pretty good job with this series. This series is SO much better than New Avengers it's staggering. Did I just compliment BENDIS? Weird... Anyway, this was a pretty good comic that has me looking forward to the next issue.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Ooo, pretty...
What Happened: Norman "Marvel" Osborn finds himself and his Dark Avengers trapped in a world created by the Molecule Man. Osborn tries to reason with MM, but winds up getting psychologically tortured for his troubles. MM then proceeds to attack each member of the Dark Avengers one by one. Having dealt with all of the Dark Avengers, MM tries to figure out what he should do, fearing that his actions will cause Reed Richards to come down on him like the hand of god. While MM is pondering his situation, Victoria Hand, Osborn's second in command approaches MM and announces that HAMMER and the USA surrender to him, ending this issue.
What I Thought: The annoying ending notwithstanding(the US surrendering to the Molecule Man? Really!?!)this comic wasn't half bad. You know, I may rag on BENDIS alot, but giving credit where credit is due, he's done a pretty good job with this series. This series is SO much better than New Avengers it's staggering. Did I just compliment BENDIS? Weird... Anyway, this was a pretty good comic that has me looking forward to the next issue.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Ooo, pretty...
A Quick Look at Dark Avengers #10
Writer: BENDIS. Artist: Mike Deodato.
What Happened: After learning that the daughter of a politician has gone missing in the small town of Dinosaur, Colorado, Norman "Marvel" Osborn sends the Sentry to get to the bottom of the situation. Upon arriving the Senty(painfully)vanishes. Osborn assembles the Dark Avengers and the team arrives in force. Osborn sends Moonstone in first, and she ends up vanishing as well. This issue ends with Osborn appearing at the feet of the Molecule Man, who is surrounded by Mephisto, the Beyonder, the Enchantress, and that evil demon from Ghost Rider(the one whose name begins with a "Z").
What I Thought: For a BENDIS written comic this one wasn't all that bad. It was readable, and BENDIS kept his customary terrible dialogue to a minimum. As for the ending, I'm guessing the Molecule Man is behind everything and that the other 4 figures are just illusions.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Ah, more great dialogue from the Dread Lord...
What Happened: After learning that the daughter of a politician has gone missing in the small town of Dinosaur, Colorado, Norman "Marvel" Osborn sends the Sentry to get to the bottom of the situation. Upon arriving the Senty(painfully)vanishes. Osborn assembles the Dark Avengers and the team arrives in force. Osborn sends Moonstone in first, and she ends up vanishing as well. This issue ends with Osborn appearing at the feet of the Molecule Man, who is surrounded by Mephisto, the Beyonder, the Enchantress, and that evil demon from Ghost Rider(the one whose name begins with a "Z").
What I Thought: For a BENDIS written comic this one wasn't all that bad. It was readable, and BENDIS kept his customary terrible dialogue to a minimum. As for the ending, I'm guessing the Molecule Man is behind everything and that the other 4 figures are just illusions.
Score: 7 out of 10.
Ah, more great dialogue from the Dread Lord...
A LAZY look at Justice Society of America 80-Page Giant #1
Writers: Too many to list. Artist: A whole mess of people.
What I Thought(In 200 words or less!): This comic collected 7 original stories about various JSA members. The stories were all(loosely)connected to a main story which bookended this comic. To be perfectly honest, I read this comic about 3 days ago, and I can barely remember any of the stories as I type this today... That should tell you alot right there. In case you're curious as to which characters were spotlighted, here ya go; Mr. America, Citizen Steel, Amazing Man, Wildcat(the younger one), Cyclone, and Damage. I'd only recommend this one if you are an absolute die-hard JSA fan. If not, then you should probably save your $5.99(!!!).
Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.
Parenting 101 with Ted Grant.
What I Thought(In 200 words or less!): This comic collected 7 original stories about various JSA members. The stories were all(loosely)connected to a main story which bookended this comic. To be perfectly honest, I read this comic about 3 days ago, and I can barely remember any of the stories as I type this today... That should tell you alot right there. In case you're curious as to which characters were spotlighted, here ya go; Mr. America, Citizen Steel, Amazing Man, Wildcat(the younger one), Cyclone, and Damage. I'd only recommend this one if you are an absolute die-hard JSA fan. If not, then you should probably save your $5.99(!!!).
Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.
Parenting 101 with Ted Grant.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Best of the Rest.(Dec. 13-Dec. 17)
Well, it's that time again, it's time for me to give my uninformed and at times offensive opinion on comic books and their creators! Yes boys and girls(OK, I think I'm stretching things with the "and girls" line)it's time for another installment of The Best of the Rest! Please, hold your applause! With no school(or much of anything else)to occupy my time this past week, I've been reading through TPB's like there's no tomorrow. Before getting into the shoddy reviews and all that, I should announce what my sister brought me for Christmas. How do I know what she brought me already? Allow me to explain. You see, I'm terrible at holding on to the Christmas presents I buy for people until Christmas... Once I buy a Christmas gift for somebody I want to immediately give it to them. I just don't have the willpower to hold onto it until Christmas. Fortunately for me, my sister is just as bad as I am! After I picked up her gifts a few weeks ago(a few Birds of Prey trades plus the Hal Jordan funeral issue of Green Lantern)I immediately wanted to give them to her, but she told me to wait until she picked up my present. So a few days ago, a good week and a half before Christmas, I gave my sister her gifts and she gave me mine. What did she get me? The Batman: The Black Glove TPB along with the deluxe edition Batman R.I.P. hardcover. Pretty sweet no? OK, enough about me and my severe lack of willpower, let's get on with the reviews!
Batman: Knightfall Part Three: Knightsend TPB- This massive trade collects Batman 509-510, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30, Detective Comics #676-677, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63 and(for some reason)Catwoman #12. Basically, the formerly broken Bruce Wayne has worked himself back into fighting shape and is ready to wrestle the Mantle of the Bat away from the increasingly insane Azrael, who Bruce left in charge of Gotham City during his absence. With Bruce was away, Azrael has been running wild in Gotham, using excessive force on criminals and apparently being responsible for at least two deaths. Needless to say Bruce, Nightwing and Robin aren't pleased, and Bruce is forced to try to take down the man who managed to defeat Bane, the villain who Bruce himself was unable to best. This should have been a satisfying end to the Knightfall trilogy, but instead it just fell flat. Real flat. All this trade/storyline really needed to do was pit Bruce and Azrael against each other and have them duke it out in an epic battle with the last man standing claiming the cowl. Instead we get a whole mess of filler and a really lame ending to the Bruce-Azrael fight. This should have been SO much better... Score: 6 out of 10.
The Flash: Wonderland TPB- This trade collects Flash #164-169. Wally West wakes up in a police station in Keystone City, in handcuffs, with no recollection as to why or how he got there. To make matters worse, Wally is without his speed powers and the cops aren't exactly the nicest of guys. Wally gets tossed into a cell where he is sprung by Captain Cold... Captain Cold?!? Yes Captain Cold, one of Wally's worst foes. Wally soon learns that along with Cold and Mirror Master(another of Wally's rogues)he is trapped in an alternate version of Keystone City, one where there is no Flash, and the cops have no qualms about shooting first and asking questions later. In short, things aren't looking very good for Mr. West. This was the great Geoff Johns' first Flash story, and for the most part I did like it. With that said, it was missing something... I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about this story that kept me from becoming fully engrossed in it. Maybe it was the big villain reveal at the end, or maybe it was how predictable the story was, but I was kind of hoping for a little bit more here. This was still a very good trade, but not as good as I would have liked. Score: 7 out of 10
The Flash: Blood Will Run TPB- This trade collects Flash #170-176, The Flash: Secret Files #3 and The Flash: Iron Heights #1. Here we have Wally trying to combat a doomsday cult that worships the Flash as their god, Wally finding out that he may have an illegitimate son, a couple of skirmishes with the Rogues, and Wally and Jay Garrick trying to figure out who is causing a rash of deaths in Iron Heights prison. This trade was kind of hit or miss, but it was definitely more hit than miss. The Flash/Cult story didn't really do much for me, but everything else here was pretty good. I especially liked the Iron Heights story and the illegitimate kid story. Iron Heights was exactly what I thought it would be, an exceptionally good Flash story. I'd always heard good things about Iron Heights, and now I see why. It was really good. If you're a Flash fan, read it! The thing that really interested me was that illegitimate kid storyline though. I REALLY wish Geoff wouldn't have busted out the cop-out excuse during this story, because I for one would have loved it for the kid to have been Wally's. Wally was a flat out player when he first became the Flash, so it wouldn't be beyond the realm of reason for Wally to have fathered an illegitimate kid. Unfortunately though, that was not to be. It's a shame too, because that idea could have definitely produced some interesting stories. Score: 8 out of 10
Batman: The Black Glove TPB- This trade collects Batman #667-669 and #672-675. First Batman meets up with the International Club of Heroes on a deserted island, and is forced into a battle of wits with a brilliant and deadly adversary, the Black Glove. Glove is slowly killing off members of the Club, and it's up to Batman to figure out who is responsible and why. From there, Batman heads back to Gotham City and is has to deal with the third evil Batman created by Dr. Hurt. While all of this is going on, Bruce Wayne has begun dating Jezebel Jet, which leads to a whole different set of problems. Grant Morrison was the writer here, so naturally there were some storyline elements that went sailing over my head. However, I managed to grasp most of what Grant was doing here, which made me very happy. Sure, one full issue was a bizarre dream/hallucination sequence, and the villains spoke like they were born on Mars, but at least the story was relatively coherent. When it comes to Grant's writing, if I can understand the broad strokes, I consider that a win. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Well, that's it, The Best of the Rest, a day early and a dollar short... Huh? Anyway, before this post becomes totally incoherent all that's left to say is this, Long Live The Legion!
Batman: Knightfall Part Three: Knightsend TPB- This massive trade collects Batman 509-510, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30, Detective Comics #676-677, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63 and(for some reason)Catwoman #12. Basically, the formerly broken Bruce Wayne has worked himself back into fighting shape and is ready to wrestle the Mantle of the Bat away from the increasingly insane Azrael, who Bruce left in charge of Gotham City during his absence. With Bruce was away, Azrael has been running wild in Gotham, using excessive force on criminals and apparently being responsible for at least two deaths. Needless to say Bruce, Nightwing and Robin aren't pleased, and Bruce is forced to try to take down the man who managed to defeat Bane, the villain who Bruce himself was unable to best. This should have been a satisfying end to the Knightfall trilogy, but instead it just fell flat. Real flat. All this trade/storyline really needed to do was pit Bruce and Azrael against each other and have them duke it out in an epic battle with the last man standing claiming the cowl. Instead we get a whole mess of filler and a really lame ending to the Bruce-Azrael fight. This should have been SO much better... Score: 6 out of 10.
The Flash: Wonderland TPB- This trade collects Flash #164-169. Wally West wakes up in a police station in Keystone City, in handcuffs, with no recollection as to why or how he got there. To make matters worse, Wally is without his speed powers and the cops aren't exactly the nicest of guys. Wally gets tossed into a cell where he is sprung by Captain Cold... Captain Cold?!? Yes Captain Cold, one of Wally's worst foes. Wally soon learns that along with Cold and Mirror Master(another of Wally's rogues)he is trapped in an alternate version of Keystone City, one where there is no Flash, and the cops have no qualms about shooting first and asking questions later. In short, things aren't looking very good for Mr. West. This was the great Geoff Johns' first Flash story, and for the most part I did like it. With that said, it was missing something... I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something about this story that kept me from becoming fully engrossed in it. Maybe it was the big villain reveal at the end, or maybe it was how predictable the story was, but I was kind of hoping for a little bit more here. This was still a very good trade, but not as good as I would have liked. Score: 7 out of 10
The Flash: Blood Will Run TPB- This trade collects Flash #170-176, The Flash: Secret Files #3 and The Flash: Iron Heights #1. Here we have Wally trying to combat a doomsday cult that worships the Flash as their god, Wally finding out that he may have an illegitimate son, a couple of skirmishes with the Rogues, and Wally and Jay Garrick trying to figure out who is causing a rash of deaths in Iron Heights prison. This trade was kind of hit or miss, but it was definitely more hit than miss. The Flash/Cult story didn't really do much for me, but everything else here was pretty good. I especially liked the Iron Heights story and the illegitimate kid story. Iron Heights was exactly what I thought it would be, an exceptionally good Flash story. I'd always heard good things about Iron Heights, and now I see why. It was really good. If you're a Flash fan, read it! The thing that really interested me was that illegitimate kid storyline though. I REALLY wish Geoff wouldn't have busted out the cop-out excuse during this story, because I for one would have loved it for the kid to have been Wally's. Wally was a flat out player when he first became the Flash, so it wouldn't be beyond the realm of reason for Wally to have fathered an illegitimate kid. Unfortunately though, that was not to be. It's a shame too, because that idea could have definitely produced some interesting stories. Score: 8 out of 10
Batman: The Black Glove TPB- This trade collects Batman #667-669 and #672-675. First Batman meets up with the International Club of Heroes on a deserted island, and is forced into a battle of wits with a brilliant and deadly adversary, the Black Glove. Glove is slowly killing off members of the Club, and it's up to Batman to figure out who is responsible and why. From there, Batman heads back to Gotham City and is has to deal with the third evil Batman created by Dr. Hurt. While all of this is going on, Bruce Wayne has begun dating Jezebel Jet, which leads to a whole different set of problems. Grant Morrison was the writer here, so naturally there were some storyline elements that went sailing over my head. However, I managed to grasp most of what Grant was doing here, which made me very happy. Sure, one full issue was a bizarre dream/hallucination sequence, and the villains spoke like they were born on Mars, but at least the story was relatively coherent. When it comes to Grant's writing, if I can understand the broad strokes, I consider that a win. Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Well, that's it, The Best of the Rest, a day early and a dollar short... Huh? Anyway, before this post becomes totally incoherent all that's left to say is this, Long Live The Legion!
Booster Gold #26
Writer: Dan Jurgens. Art: Dan Jurgens and Mike Norton.
What Happened: This issue opens with a quick refresher of who Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord was before he was murdered by Maxwell Lord. After the refresher, Ted rises from his grave as a Black Lantern... Now THAT'S how you begin a comic! In Rip Hunter's lab, Rip and Skeets can't seem to find Booster Gold, and with all this Blackest Night craziness going on, they were hoping Booster would be able to lend a hand. So where is Booster you ask? Booster has transported himself to his past and is forcing himself to live through the funeral of his best friend, Ted Kord. While Booster is reliving his one of his darkest moments, Skeets goes to see if Jamie "Blue Beetle" Reyes has any idea as to Booster's whereabouts. Jamie doesn't know where Booster is, but offers to help Skeets find Booster. Skeets and Jamie head to the home of Daniel Carter, Booster's ancestor, to see if he knows where Booster may have gotten off to, but Daniel doesn't know anything. While the three are talking, BL Ted crashes his airplane into Daniel's house and tries to tear out Daniel's heart. Jamie makes the save, and ends up brawling with BL Ted on Daniel's front lawn. BL Ted tosses Jamie away and Daniel dons his Supernova costume and tries to attack BL Ted, only to get shot by BL Ted. By this point Booster has returned from his trip to the past and notices the smoke coming from the battle at Daniel's house. Booster flies over and is absolutely stunned to find BL Ted holding a bloodied Daniel against a wall. This issue ends with Booster standing slack-jawed at the sight of his best friend, apparently returned from the grave.
What I Thought: First things first, the fact that DC is STILL selling this book for $3.99 is completely and totally unacceptable! There wasn't even a second feature here! What a load of crap. OK, with that off my chest, on with the review. This was a really good comic! To be honest though, it would have been extremely difficult to mess this story up... I mean come on, it's the(sort of)return of Ted Kord, and in Booster Gold's comic to boot! This issue gave me pretty much everything I would have hoped to see, BL Ted tossing Jamie the pretender around like the trash he is, BL Ted busting out the awesome "Bwa-hahah" laugh, and BL Ted and Booster coming face to face. I definitely can't wait to get my hands on the next issue.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Even in death Ted Kord is 500% better then Jamie the pretender!
What Happened: This issue opens with a quick refresher of who Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord was before he was murdered by Maxwell Lord. After the refresher, Ted rises from his grave as a Black Lantern... Now THAT'S how you begin a comic! In Rip Hunter's lab, Rip and Skeets can't seem to find Booster Gold, and with all this Blackest Night craziness going on, they were hoping Booster would be able to lend a hand. So where is Booster you ask? Booster has transported himself to his past and is forcing himself to live through the funeral of his best friend, Ted Kord. While Booster is reliving his one of his darkest moments, Skeets goes to see if Jamie "Blue Beetle" Reyes has any idea as to Booster's whereabouts. Jamie doesn't know where Booster is, but offers to help Skeets find Booster. Skeets and Jamie head to the home of Daniel Carter, Booster's ancestor, to see if he knows where Booster may have gotten off to, but Daniel doesn't know anything. While the three are talking, BL Ted crashes his airplane into Daniel's house and tries to tear out Daniel's heart. Jamie makes the save, and ends up brawling with BL Ted on Daniel's front lawn. BL Ted tosses Jamie away and Daniel dons his Supernova costume and tries to attack BL Ted, only to get shot by BL Ted. By this point Booster has returned from his trip to the past and notices the smoke coming from the battle at Daniel's house. Booster flies over and is absolutely stunned to find BL Ted holding a bloodied Daniel against a wall. This issue ends with Booster standing slack-jawed at the sight of his best friend, apparently returned from the grave.
What I Thought: First things first, the fact that DC is STILL selling this book for $3.99 is completely and totally unacceptable! There wasn't even a second feature here! What a load of crap. OK, with that off my chest, on with the review. This was a really good comic! To be honest though, it would have been extremely difficult to mess this story up... I mean come on, it's the(sort of)return of Ted Kord, and in Booster Gold's comic to boot! This issue gave me pretty much everything I would have hoped to see, BL Ted tossing Jamie the pretender around like the trash he is, BL Ted busting out the awesome "Bwa-hahah" laugh, and BL Ted and Booster coming face to face. I definitely can't wait to get my hands on the next issue.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Even in death Ted Kord is 500% better then Jamie the pretender!
Titans #20
Writer: Mike Johnson. Pencils: Sergio Ariño.
What Happened: Following the recent trend in this series, it's time for Donna Troy's solo story. Donna is hanging around the Titans base, thinking about her life and how she's become the den mother for the team. While Donna is reminiscing, she receives a phone call from somebody asking if Donna Prince(her alter-ego)can head to Miami to take some photos at a big resort opening. Donna considers declining, but ultimately decides to go and try to forget about her Titans responsibilities for once. Donna checks into a hotel, pampers herself and heads to the grand opening party to take her photos. Finally free of her Titans shackles, Donna ends up flirting with a nice guy and winds up enjoying herself for a change. Of course it's at that point that Shimmer and the Fearsome Five attack. Shimmer tells Donna that they were the ones who called her to come to Miami for the express purpose of capturing her. Donna tries to fight off the Five, but winds up at their mercy. The guy Donna was flirting with tries to lend a hand, but only ends up drawing Mammoth's ire. Donna uses this distraction to take out Shimmer, before defeating the rest of the Five. Before leaving, Donna and the guy from earlier agree to meet up again and this issue ends with Donna deciding to purchase a place in Miami in an attempt to build a life for herself outside the Titans.
What I Thought: This was a perfectly acceptable comic book. Nothing more, nothing less. The story was inoffensive and a good way to kill 15 minutes or so. I probably won't remember this comic in a week's time, but at least it was better then most of the other comics I've been reading lately. If you like Donna Troy, then this book is probably worth a read, if not then I'd skip it.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
See, that's why you don't make an Amazon angry!
What Happened: Following the recent trend in this series, it's time for Donna Troy's solo story. Donna is hanging around the Titans base, thinking about her life and how she's become the den mother for the team. While Donna is reminiscing, she receives a phone call from somebody asking if Donna Prince(her alter-ego)can head to Miami to take some photos at a big resort opening. Donna considers declining, but ultimately decides to go and try to forget about her Titans responsibilities for once. Donna checks into a hotel, pampers herself and heads to the grand opening party to take her photos. Finally free of her Titans shackles, Donna ends up flirting with a nice guy and winds up enjoying herself for a change. Of course it's at that point that Shimmer and the Fearsome Five attack. Shimmer tells Donna that they were the ones who called her to come to Miami for the express purpose of capturing her. Donna tries to fight off the Five, but winds up at their mercy. The guy Donna was flirting with tries to lend a hand, but only ends up drawing Mammoth's ire. Donna uses this distraction to take out Shimmer, before defeating the rest of the Five. Before leaving, Donna and the guy from earlier agree to meet up again and this issue ends with Donna deciding to purchase a place in Miami in an attempt to build a life for herself outside the Titans.
What I Thought: This was a perfectly acceptable comic book. Nothing more, nothing less. The story was inoffensive and a good way to kill 15 minutes or so. I probably won't remember this comic in a week's time, but at least it was better then most of the other comics I've been reading lately. If you like Donna Troy, then this book is probably worth a read, if not then I'd skip it.
Score: 6 1/2 out of 10.
See, that's why you don't make an Amazon angry!
Green Arrow/Cupid #27... I mean Green Arrow/Black Canary #27!
Writer: Andrew Kreisberg. Pencils: Mike Norton. Second Feature Artists: Renato Guedes & Josè Wilson Magalhaes.
What Happened: This issue opens up with Cupid and Everyman saving and then assaulting a couple in a Star City Park. Green Arrow, Black Canary and Speedy respond to the scene a little later and Ollie reveals that he has mini cameras planted in all of his arrows... Uh-huh... Ollie and company manage to track Cupid and Everyman down to an abandoned apartment building thanks to his mini cameras. After breaking into Cupid's room, the heroes discover a TV set with a message from Cupid and Everyman. Cupid basically tells Ollie she's traded up and that she doesn't need him anymore. With that the building explodes and Cupid and Everyman make-out on a nearby rooftop. While making out, Cupid and Everyman are confronted by a bunch of army types. The army guys announce that Cupid was actually one of them once... Seriously? Is this really happening?!? Cue the flashback scene where we discover that Cupid was indeed a member of this black ops type team, except that she had a heart of gold... Ugh... After that flashback sequence, Cupid accuses the army guys of making the story up, and this issue ends with Ollie, Dinah and Mia confronting Cupid, Everyman and the army guys.
What I Thought: So now it seems that Cupid used to be a part of a black ops army unit... You know what, why the hell not? While were at it, how about we just kill off every other character in the DCU and rename it the CupidCU? God help me, I'm SICK and tired of Cupid!!! She's been the focal point of this series for at least 3 storylines and possibly as many as 10 issues! I don't care about Cupid, I don't care about her past or her flashback sequences, and I've got to say, I'm getting very close to not caring about this series anymore...
Score: 3 out of 10.
Yeah, that's right, we get a Cupid flashback sequence in this issue. Take that X-Man75!!!
What Happened: This issue opens up with Cupid and Everyman saving and then assaulting a couple in a Star City Park. Green Arrow, Black Canary and Speedy respond to the scene a little later and Ollie reveals that he has mini cameras planted in all of his arrows... Uh-huh... Ollie and company manage to track Cupid and Everyman down to an abandoned apartment building thanks to his mini cameras. After breaking into Cupid's room, the heroes discover a TV set with a message from Cupid and Everyman. Cupid basically tells Ollie she's traded up and that she doesn't need him anymore. With that the building explodes and Cupid and Everyman make-out on a nearby rooftop. While making out, Cupid and Everyman are confronted by a bunch of army types. The army guys announce that Cupid was actually one of them once... Seriously? Is this really happening?!? Cue the flashback scene where we discover that Cupid was indeed a member of this black ops type team, except that she had a heart of gold... Ugh... After that flashback sequence, Cupid accuses the army guys of making the story up, and this issue ends with Ollie, Dinah and Mia confronting Cupid, Everyman and the army guys.
What I Thought: So now it seems that Cupid used to be a part of a black ops army unit... You know what, why the hell not? While were at it, how about we just kill off every other character in the DCU and rename it the CupidCU? God help me, I'm SICK and tired of Cupid!!! She's been the focal point of this series for at least 3 storylines and possibly as many as 10 issues! I don't care about Cupid, I don't care about her past or her flashback sequences, and I've got to say, I'm getting very close to not caring about this series anymore...
Score: 3 out of 10.
Yeah, that's right, we get a Cupid flashback sequence in this issue. Take that X-Man75!!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Adventure Comics #5/508
Writer: The comic book GOD, Geoff Johns(can you guess who I'll be giving my writer of the year award to?)and Sterling Gates. Pencils: Bob Wiacek and Jerry Ordway.
What Happened: Superboy Prime dukes it out with the Black Lanterns who want to add his rage filled heart to their ever growing collection over the streets of Earth-Prime Manhattan. Prime brings the fight to the offices of DC Comics and threatens the various creators for screwing up his life. Before Prime can kill anybody from DC Comics(and deprive us fanboys of our favorite vice)Black Lantern Alexander Luthor arrives and teleports Prime and the Black Lanterns back to the basement of Prime's parents house. The BL's continue to torment Prime, and Prime finally gives up and grabs a BL ring and puts it on his finger, killing himself. However, for some reason, the BL ring causes Prime to transform into a member of several of the other Corps until he finally ends up becoming a Red Lantern(huh?). Prime manages to roast all of the BL's with his Red Lantern powers, which causes his Black Lantern ring to shatter, leaving him alone(and whining)on his basement floor. Prime's story ends with Laurie(Prime's long thought dead girlfriend)walking down the basement stairs to embrace Prime. Unbeknownst to Prime though, Laurie is a Black Lantern!
Second Feature: Writer: Geoff Johns. Artist: Francis Manapul.
On his way home from Paris, Superboy spots Lori destroying a doctor's office in Smallville. Superboy tries to find out why Lori is vandalizing the doctor's office and winds up learning that the doctor wouldn't treat her sick mother(or something along those lines). SB brings Lori back to her house and tries to convince her that she should be trying to find constructive way of helping her mother. While the two are talking, someone knocks on Lori's door and as she opens it, SB keels over in pain. This issue ends with Lex Luthor(who was at the door holding some Kryptonite)announcing that he had been looking all over Smallville for SB, and that he was glad that he had finally found him(oh, and Lori is Lex's niece).
What I Thought: Umm, I really didn't like this comic. I thought the Prime feature was too cutesy, and the SB feature was too short. So yeah, this definitely won't go on my Geoff Johns highlight reel... The Prime feature really annoyed me, mainly because it was too "insider" for my tastes. I could have done without Prime's assault on the DC offices, it didn't really serve any purpose, and just seemed lame. I have NO idea why Prime putting on a Black Lantern ring resulted in him becoming a Red Lantern... That was completely mindboggling. And on top of all that, I thought the ending was pretty lousy as well! It was like the sort of thing you'd see in a really bad horror movie. Yep, Prime's feature was sincerely lacking. As for the Superboy feature, with the exception of Lex's appearance on the last page, nothing of note happened. It was just SB talking to this girl who turns out to be Lex's niece. Since I'm not emotionally invested in Lori at all, this reveal didn't impact me at all. To sum up this comic in a single word, "Meh".
Score: 3 1/2 out of 10.
This was the only good part of this comic, and it came on the very last page!
What Happened: Superboy Prime dukes it out with the Black Lanterns who want to add his rage filled heart to their ever growing collection over the streets of Earth-Prime Manhattan. Prime brings the fight to the offices of DC Comics and threatens the various creators for screwing up his life. Before Prime can kill anybody from DC Comics(and deprive us fanboys of our favorite vice)Black Lantern Alexander Luthor arrives and teleports Prime and the Black Lanterns back to the basement of Prime's parents house. The BL's continue to torment Prime, and Prime finally gives up and grabs a BL ring and puts it on his finger, killing himself. However, for some reason, the BL ring causes Prime to transform into a member of several of the other Corps until he finally ends up becoming a Red Lantern(huh?). Prime manages to roast all of the BL's with his Red Lantern powers, which causes his Black Lantern ring to shatter, leaving him alone(and whining)on his basement floor. Prime's story ends with Laurie(Prime's long thought dead girlfriend)walking down the basement stairs to embrace Prime. Unbeknownst to Prime though, Laurie is a Black Lantern!
Second Feature: Writer: Geoff Johns. Artist: Francis Manapul.
On his way home from Paris, Superboy spots Lori destroying a doctor's office in Smallville. Superboy tries to find out why Lori is vandalizing the doctor's office and winds up learning that the doctor wouldn't treat her sick mother(or something along those lines). SB brings Lori back to her house and tries to convince her that she should be trying to find constructive way of helping her mother. While the two are talking, someone knocks on Lori's door and as she opens it, SB keels over in pain. This issue ends with Lex Luthor(who was at the door holding some Kryptonite)announcing that he had been looking all over Smallville for SB, and that he was glad that he had finally found him(oh, and Lori is Lex's niece).
What I Thought: Umm, I really didn't like this comic. I thought the Prime feature was too cutesy, and the SB feature was too short. So yeah, this definitely won't go on my Geoff Johns highlight reel... The Prime feature really annoyed me, mainly because it was too "insider" for my tastes. I could have done without Prime's assault on the DC offices, it didn't really serve any purpose, and just seemed lame. I have NO idea why Prime putting on a Black Lantern ring resulted in him becoming a Red Lantern... That was completely mindboggling. And on top of all that, I thought the ending was pretty lousy as well! It was like the sort of thing you'd see in a really bad horror movie. Yep, Prime's feature was sincerely lacking. As for the Superboy feature, with the exception of Lex's appearance on the last page, nothing of note happened. It was just SB talking to this girl who turns out to be Lex's niece. Since I'm not emotionally invested in Lori at all, this reveal didn't impact me at all. To sum up this comic in a single word, "Meh".
Score: 3 1/2 out of 10.
This was the only good part of this comic, and it came on the very last page!