Get ready for a blast from the past, it's time for Flashback Friday! This week's Flashback is way better then last week's, since I've actually had the time to lay around reading comics! We're still pretty Robin-centric, but I've also thrown in a few Marvel books, a Wildstorm trade and some DC comics other then Robin, so this week is a bit more varied then last week was. Alright, let's get to it!
Robin #1(Nov. 1993): Hey, it's finally the beginning of Robin's ongoing series! Once I'm done going over this one, I only have 183(plus annuals) to go! Some car thieves calling themselves the Speedboyz are stealing fancy cars in the suburbs of Gotham. Tim decides to try to catch them since he was banished from the Batcave by the crazy Batman(Jean Paul Valley). Tim also winds up running afoul a cop from the suburbs who doesn't like the idea of city-folks(like Tim)getting involved on his turf. Score: 8 out of 10.
Detective Comics #650(Sept. 1992): Tim and Alfred save a Geraldo type of news reporter after he tries to open up the booby-trapped vault of a dead mob boss. Perfectly acceptable solo type story. Score: 7 out of 10.
Wolverine: Weapon X: Insane in the Brain TPB(Collects Wolverine Weapon X issues #6-10): Wolvie wakes up in an insane asylum with no memory of who he is or why he's there. And to make matters worse, the doctor in charge seems 51 cards short of a deck... This is definitely not a conventional Wolvie story, it's at times laugh out loud funny, and VERY over the top. If you're looking for good, gory fun, I'd definitely recommend this. Score: 9 out of 10.
Robin #2(Dec. 1993): Tim manages to take down the Speedboyz, and the Cluemaster escapes from Blackgate prison. Score: 7 out of 10.
Robin #3(Feb. 1994): Tim has difficulty managing his Tim Drake time and his Robin time, which leads to lots of trouble between him and his Russian girlfriend. While investigating Cluemaster's jail break, Tim runs into Spoiler, who was also hunting for Cluemaster(who happens to be her father). Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Flash 80 page giant #2(April 1999): You know, I read this only a few days ago, and I honestly don't remember WHAT went on here! I guess I'll just type the score I wrote down after reading this comic and move on... Score: 6 out of 10.
Robin #4(March 1994): Tim and Spoiler decide to work together to find Cluemaster. Cluemaster and his lackeys steal a van full of money, but are spotted by Tim, who winds up getting trapped with Cluemaster in the back of the van, while Cluemaster's lackey's bury the van in concrete to hide it from the cops. Score: 7 out of 10.
Robin #5(April 1994): Tim and Cluemaster are trapped in the back of the buried van and begin to rapidly run out of air, which leads to a few funny moments like Tim contemplating killing Cluemaster to double his air supply, and then thinking about how disappointed Batman would be to learn of Timmy's impure thoughts. Ultimately Spoiler beats up her father's lackeys and rescues her dad and the Boy Wonder, getting a kiss from Robin in return. Score: 8 out of 10.
Robin Annual #1(1992): This was a part of the Eclipso: Darkness Within storyline. Tim tries to prevent Anarchy from using several Eclipso black diamonds Anarchy had gotten a hold of. In the end, Tim manages to stop Anarchy and save the day. Score: 8 out of 10.
Adventures of Superman Annual #5(1993): This was a part of the Bloodlines storyline. Superboy(back when he was still calling himself Superman)and Sparx wind up facing some of those Bloodline Parasite things. I didn't understand a SINGLE thing about this storyline, but ultra-cocky Superboy did make me laugh. Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.
Robin #6(May 1994): This was actually the second part of a three part x-over with the Showcase series. Unfortunately I couldn't find the first and last part of this x-over, so I really didn't get a good feel for the story. It had to do with Huntress and Tim teaming up to deal with some mobsters from Huntress's past. Score: 6 out of 10.
Robin #7(June 1994): This comic was another crossover, this time to the Knightquest storyline. Bruce Wayne and Tim's father return to Gotham, and Tim reveals to Bruce that his hand-picked Batman(Jean Paul Valley)was losing his mind and killing Gotham criminals. Bruce and Tim head to the Batcave to confront Jean Paul, which leads to Bruce getting thrown into the Bat-computer before JP takes the Batmobile and leaves. Tim tries to follow Jean Paul in his Redbird car, but can't keep up with the crazed Jean Paul. In the end, Bruce realizes that he'll have to reclaim the Batman mantle from Jean Paul. Score: 8 out of 10.
Gen13: Road Trip(Collects Gen13 Vol. 4 #7-13) This is the second Gen13 trade written by Gail Simone, and unfortunately, the last. This trade fixes a lot of what I was complaining about with the last trade, and focuses on the 5 kids, instead of the villains. We get 5 issues that highlight each of the Gen13 members, as well as a pretty good battle between Gen13, their evil clones, and the Authoriteens... Don't ask! There were some hit or miss moments, but overall, this was a pretty satisfying trade. Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Amazing Spider-Man #420(Feb. 1997): I've already read this comic years ago, but I figured it was due for a re-read. This is a Christmas story where Spidey meets up with Nate Grey(X-Man)for the first time. Naturally the two start off at odds, but by the end of this one they wind up celebrating Christmas Eve together. Score: 8 out of 10.
X-Man #24(Feb. 1997): This is another comic I'm re-reading. Nate is attacked by Morbius on his way home from Spidey's house, and for some unexplained reason begins to turn into a vampire(even though Morbius can't create other vampires...). Spidey finds vampire Nate and the two decide that if Nate found his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Threnody, he'd revert back to normal... for some reason... The two heroes locate Thren in a cemetery, but find Morbius there as well, which leads to Morbius coercing Thren into helping him fight Nate and Spidey. Ultimately Morbius runs away, which leads to Spidey chasing after him, and Nate scolds Thren and leaves her... Ahhh, NOW I remember why I hated this series! Score: 5 1/2 out of 10.
And there we go, another Flashback completed. Just so you all know, I won't be looking at Robin #8 or 9 because I just recently read those comics in the Knightfall vol. 3 TPB. Hope you enjoyed this week, and see you tomorrow for the horrible Best of the Rest.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Secret Avengers #1
Secret Avengers #1 Writer: Ed Brubaker(!!!) Pencils: Mike Deodato.
Review: I've been looking forward to this one! We open things up here with Valkyrie and Black Widow posing as escorts to a vice president in the Roxxon company. Valkyrie blow their cover, and the two women are forced to try to battle through a small army of gun totting Roxxon thugs. To even up the odds, Capt. Rogers leaps through the window and the trio easily manage to take the goons down. The trio of heroes also manage to grab a metal box that was being held by Roxxon, and take the box back to base, where Cap gives it to Beast. Cap and Beast open the box and study the item inside, which isn't exactly what they thought it was... Cap had thought Roxxon had acquired the Serpent Crown(basically an uber-powerful artifact that can do oodles of things, including mind control), but this crown seems to be a similar version, but not the real deal. Cap decides to send Antman and Moon Knight to Roxxon's Corporate Headquarters to see if they could dig up some information. The two heroes manage to break into Roxxon's computers and send some information back to Beast, Cap and War Machine, and after cracking Roxxon's security measures, Beast learns that Roxxon most likely discovered the crown on Mars, which is where they were drilling for minerals. Cap decides to send Nova to Mars to check things out, but he eventually loses contact with Nova, and after 12 hours of radio silence, Cap assembles his Secret Avengers and takes a Kree battleship to Mars. Back on Mars, Nova discovers what looks to be another Serpent Crown, and seems to be psychically drawn towards it. This issue ends with the Shadow Council, which was being led by Nick Fury(!?!?!?!!!), sneaking onto Cap's command ship, where they knock out Sharon Carter, ending this issue.
What I Thought: Well hell, I say let's just hand the reins of ALL of the Avengers comics over to Ed Brubaker, because this issue is ALREADY putting BENDIS'S Avengers works to shame, and this was only the FIRST issue! I like the team, they're a real motley crew, although if the core of the group remains Cap, War Machine, Beast, Black Widow and Sharon, none of the other characters really matter much. The story was interesting, and is dealing with an artifact that has always given the Avengers trouble, so it has a nice link to Avengers history, and the swerve at the end with Nick Fury was quite unexpected! So Nick and these Shadow Council guys seem to be after the Serpent Crown as well, and with Cap and his Secret Avengers off planet, and Shannon out cold, there seems to be nothing standing between Nick and his seemingly evil goals. Great first issue(unsurprisingly)that has me salivating for more.
Score: 9 out of 10.
There's nothing that makes me happier then seeing Cap put a hurting on some hapless losers...
Review: I've been looking forward to this one! We open things up here with Valkyrie and Black Widow posing as escorts to a vice president in the Roxxon company. Valkyrie blow their cover, and the two women are forced to try to battle through a small army of gun totting Roxxon thugs. To even up the odds, Capt. Rogers leaps through the window and the trio easily manage to take the goons down. The trio of heroes also manage to grab a metal box that was being held by Roxxon, and take the box back to base, where Cap gives it to Beast. Cap and Beast open the box and study the item inside, which isn't exactly what they thought it was... Cap had thought Roxxon had acquired the Serpent Crown(basically an uber-powerful artifact that can do oodles of things, including mind control), but this crown seems to be a similar version, but not the real deal. Cap decides to send Antman and Moon Knight to Roxxon's Corporate Headquarters to see if they could dig up some information. The two heroes manage to break into Roxxon's computers and send some information back to Beast, Cap and War Machine, and after cracking Roxxon's security measures, Beast learns that Roxxon most likely discovered the crown on Mars, which is where they were drilling for minerals. Cap decides to send Nova to Mars to check things out, but he eventually loses contact with Nova, and after 12 hours of radio silence, Cap assembles his Secret Avengers and takes a Kree battleship to Mars. Back on Mars, Nova discovers what looks to be another Serpent Crown, and seems to be psychically drawn towards it. This issue ends with the Shadow Council, which was being led by Nick Fury(!?!?!?!!!), sneaking onto Cap's command ship, where they knock out Sharon Carter, ending this issue.
What I Thought: Well hell, I say let's just hand the reins of ALL of the Avengers comics over to Ed Brubaker, because this issue is ALREADY putting BENDIS'S Avengers works to shame, and this was only the FIRST issue! I like the team, they're a real motley crew, although if the core of the group remains Cap, War Machine, Beast, Black Widow and Sharon, none of the other characters really matter much. The story was interesting, and is dealing with an artifact that has always given the Avengers trouble, so it has a nice link to Avengers history, and the swerve at the end with Nick Fury was quite unexpected! So Nick and these Shadow Council guys seem to be after the Serpent Crown as well, and with Cap and his Secret Avengers off planet, and Shannon out cold, there seems to be nothing standing between Nick and his seemingly evil goals. Great first issue(unsurprisingly)that has me salivating for more.
Score: 9 out of 10.
There's nothing that makes me happier then seeing Cap put a hurting on some hapless losers...
Green Lantern Corps #48
Green Lantern Corps #48: Writer: Tony Bedard. Pencils: Ardian Syaf.
Last Issue: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Review: And thus begins the Tony Bedard era of GLC. We start this series with Ganthet and Guy Gardner holding a clandestine meeting with the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus. Ganthet tells Atrocitus that he has a proposition for him, and Atrocitus gives Ganthet 5 minutes to plead his case. After hearing Ganthet out, Guy agrees to whatever it was Ganthet said(we weren't privy to the conversation), and Atrocitus also seems interested. From there, Ganthet appears before the remaining six Guardians of the Universe and resigns his status as a Guardian of both the Green Lantern Corps AND the Blue Lantern Corps. Ganthet then requests to be made into a common Green Lantern, who would look after sector 0(which is where Oa is located)and after some thought, the Guardians agree to grant Ganthet his wish. On Oa, a rookie Green Lantern is abducted by the Alpha Lanterns(or requisitioned if you will), while Ganthet meets up with Kyle Rayner and John Stewart to talk about rebuilding the thoroughly demolished Oa. While the three were discussing rebuilding, John is summoned to meet up with the Guardians. He heads in and finds Alpha Lantern Boodikka standing with the Guardians. The Guardians reveal to John that the planet Grenda had ceased all communications with the outside world, and when a Green Lantern was sent to investigate, they reported that there was nobody left on the planet, before promptly vanishing as well. John agrees to go with Boodikka to see what they could find, and this issue ends with the rookie Lantern from earlier “requisitioning” his GL partner into the Alpha Lanterns.
What I Thought: I liked it. Tony seems to have a definitive idea of where he's going with this series, and I for one am glad to see Guy Gardner replaced for John Stewart. I've never been all that high on Guy, and his oftentimes childish attitude tended to grate on my nerves at times. Granted Guy had been written a lot better the past few years, but he was never one of my favorite Lanterns. It seems that this book will be revolving around Kyle(who is my favorite Lantern), John(who I always thought was egregiously underutilized)and Ganthet(who definitely brings something different to the dynamic of this book). I don't have any complaints about those three characters carrying this comic at all. The stuff with the Alpha Lanterns forcing Green Lanterns into their ranks should lead to some great stories down the road, and I for one hope Tony slow burns this storyline, and has the Alphas gather a veritable army before their scheme is revealed, that way we can have a very strong(Manhunter-esque)Alpha Lantern contingent ready to take on the GL's. Regardless of what Tony does, I have some high hopes for this series going forward.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
I bet Atrocitus is probably a blast at parties...
Last Issue: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Review: And thus begins the Tony Bedard era of GLC. We start this series with Ganthet and Guy Gardner holding a clandestine meeting with the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus. Ganthet tells Atrocitus that he has a proposition for him, and Atrocitus gives Ganthet 5 minutes to plead his case. After hearing Ganthet out, Guy agrees to whatever it was Ganthet said(we weren't privy to the conversation), and Atrocitus also seems interested. From there, Ganthet appears before the remaining six Guardians of the Universe and resigns his status as a Guardian of both the Green Lantern Corps AND the Blue Lantern Corps. Ganthet then requests to be made into a common Green Lantern, who would look after sector 0(which is where Oa is located)and after some thought, the Guardians agree to grant Ganthet his wish. On Oa, a rookie Green Lantern is abducted by the Alpha Lanterns(or requisitioned if you will), while Ganthet meets up with Kyle Rayner and John Stewart to talk about rebuilding the thoroughly demolished Oa. While the three were discussing rebuilding, John is summoned to meet up with the Guardians. He heads in and finds Alpha Lantern Boodikka standing with the Guardians. The Guardians reveal to John that the planet Grenda had ceased all communications with the outside world, and when a Green Lantern was sent to investigate, they reported that there was nobody left on the planet, before promptly vanishing as well. John agrees to go with Boodikka to see what they could find, and this issue ends with the rookie Lantern from earlier “requisitioning” his GL partner into the Alpha Lanterns.
What I Thought: I liked it. Tony seems to have a definitive idea of where he's going with this series, and I for one am glad to see Guy Gardner replaced for John Stewart. I've never been all that high on Guy, and his oftentimes childish attitude tended to grate on my nerves at times. Granted Guy had been written a lot better the past few years, but he was never one of my favorite Lanterns. It seems that this book will be revolving around Kyle(who is my favorite Lantern), John(who I always thought was egregiously underutilized)and Ganthet(who definitely brings something different to the dynamic of this book). I don't have any complaints about those three characters carrying this comic at all. The stuff with the Alpha Lanterns forcing Green Lanterns into their ranks should lead to some great stories down the road, and I for one hope Tony slow burns this storyline, and has the Alphas gather a veritable army before their scheme is revealed, that way we can have a very strong(Manhunter-esque)Alpha Lantern contingent ready to take on the GL's. Regardless of what Tony does, I have some high hopes for this series going forward.
Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.
I bet Atrocitus is probably a blast at parties...
Green Lantern #54
Green Lantern #54: Writer: Geoff Johns. Pencils: Doug Mahnke.
Last Issue: 8 out of 10.
Review: This issue begins with Atrocitus and one of his Red Lanterns searching around the subways of New York in search of... well, I can't say what just yet... Meanwhile, Hal, Carol Ferris and Sinestro are still fooling around with the White Lantern they had discovered in New Mexico. Sinestro couldn't lift it, and neither could Hal or Carol. Eventually they all try to lift it at once, and it begins to show them cryptic images of all of the characters Geoff Johns deemed deserved a second chance during Blackest Night. The White Lantern then shows the trio images of all of the entities that make up the Color Corps. Speaking of which, the strange little shackled figure from last issue arrives in the sun of Daxam and finds Sodam Yat. The cloaked figure yanks Ion out of Sodam and returns him to Daxam, giving him a second chance at life. After taking Ion, the mysterious figure heads back to its base and chains Ion up next to Parallax. Meanwhile, Hal, Carol and Sinestro are transported to New York, and are told by the White Lantern that Atrocitus would help them. Meanwhile, Atrocitus is making a map in the blood of some criminals he killed trying to deduct where the entities were hiding on Earth. Hal and company find Atrocitus, and naturally have a misunderstanding, which leads to fisticuffs. After some pointless fighting, Lobo(!?)arrives on the scene and prepares to pulverize Hal.
What I Thought: First off, I have a new rule to announce. Seeing as that I am completely and thoroughly disgusted with Geoff Johns and his blatant favoritism for HIS characters, I'll be knocking at least a 1/2 of a score off of every Johns written comic. How can I do this? Because this is my blog, and anything goes! BWA-HAHAHAHAH!!! Okay, with that out of the way, this comic had some good, and some bad. The bad was the fact that Johns totally lifted a few scenes from Brightest Day #0(or maybe #1, I can't be bothered to check), thus filling some of this comic with stuff I'd already read. Plus as I've said before, I'm sick and tired of Johns' annoying Brightest Day story as it is, so the parts of this comic with the White Lantern and Hal and company did little more then annoy me. On the positive side, the stuff with Atrocitus was great(as usual), and the inclusion of Lobo at the end was long overdue. I'd have preferred it if Lobo had popped up in REBELS, but I guess I'll settle for seeing him here... Then again, Johns will probably have Barry Allen kill off Lobo next issue...
Score: 8 out of 10.
So as I read through this issue, I kept wondering, where's SAINT Barry!?!
Last Issue: 8 out of 10.
Review: This issue begins with Atrocitus and one of his Red Lanterns searching around the subways of New York in search of... well, I can't say what just yet... Meanwhile, Hal, Carol Ferris and Sinestro are still fooling around with the White Lantern they had discovered in New Mexico. Sinestro couldn't lift it, and neither could Hal or Carol. Eventually they all try to lift it at once, and it begins to show them cryptic images of all of the characters Geoff Johns deemed deserved a second chance during Blackest Night. The White Lantern then shows the trio images of all of the entities that make up the Color Corps. Speaking of which, the strange little shackled figure from last issue arrives in the sun of Daxam and finds Sodam Yat. The cloaked figure yanks Ion out of Sodam and returns him to Daxam, giving him a second chance at life. After taking Ion, the mysterious figure heads back to its base and chains Ion up next to Parallax. Meanwhile, Hal, Carol and Sinestro are transported to New York, and are told by the White Lantern that Atrocitus would help them. Meanwhile, Atrocitus is making a map in the blood of some criminals he killed trying to deduct where the entities were hiding on Earth. Hal and company find Atrocitus, and naturally have a misunderstanding, which leads to fisticuffs. After some pointless fighting, Lobo(!?)arrives on the scene and prepares to pulverize Hal.
What I Thought: First off, I have a new rule to announce. Seeing as that I am completely and thoroughly disgusted with Geoff Johns and his blatant favoritism for HIS characters, I'll be knocking at least a 1/2 of a score off of every Johns written comic. How can I do this? Because this is my blog, and anything goes! BWA-HAHAHAHAH!!! Okay, with that out of the way, this comic had some good, and some bad. The bad was the fact that Johns totally lifted a few scenes from Brightest Day #0(or maybe #1, I can't be bothered to check), thus filling some of this comic with stuff I'd already read. Plus as I've said before, I'm sick and tired of Johns' annoying Brightest Day story as it is, so the parts of this comic with the White Lantern and Hal and company did little more then annoy me. On the positive side, the stuff with Atrocitus was great(as usual), and the inclusion of Lobo at the end was long overdue. I'd have preferred it if Lobo had popped up in REBELS, but I guess I'll settle for seeing him here... Then again, Johns will probably have Barry Allen kill off Lobo next issue...
Score: 8 out of 10.
So as I read through this issue, I kept wondering, where's SAINT Barry!?!
Wolverine Origins #48
Wolverine Origins #48: Writer: Daniel Way. Artist: Will Conrad.
Last Issue: 9 out of 10.
Review: This takes place directly after Dark Wolverine #86(so check that out first!). Wolverine and Cloak take Romulus back to the place of Wolvie's birth(the Howlett Estate), and Wolvie tells Romulus that he wasn't going to kill him, instead he was going to wait for Romulus to die. Romulus scoffs at that, telling Wolvie that his death would take a LONG time, which leads to Wolvie taking Romulus to the darkforce dimension that can be accessed via Cloak's... well, cloak. Wolvie leaves Romulus lost in the land of shadows, and walks over to his childhood home, admitting to himself that he was always a victim of circumstance and others, and forgives those who had used him, as well as forgiving himself. Finally Wolvie asks Cloak for one final favor, and has Cloak teleport him to Daken. Wolverine arrives at Daken's location with the Muramasa blade and tells his son that he had taken care of Romulus, and that Daken was next. And so the two battle one more time, but this time Wolverine remains in full control of his emotions, while Daken(who was still fuming over Romulus escaping his vengeance)fights like the berserker. Eventually Wolvie baits Daken into striking the Muramasa blade with his Muramasa claws, which leads to a huge shock-wave that knocks both combatants down. Before Daken can get back to his feet, Wolverine walks up to his son and stabs him through his chest with his claws, knocking him out. Wolvie then picks up the Muramasa blade, and decides that he has to finish the job with Daken, to make sure his son can no longer be a threat... From there the scene shifts to Wolvie standing over an open grave. Wolvie picks up a shovel and heads over to the grave and looks in, and we see that the Muramasa blade and Daken's two Muramasa claws are at the bottom. Wolvie proceeds to bury them, and this issue ends with Daken sitting on a bed surrounded by empty booze bottles looking at the huge scars indicating where his Muramasa claws used to be.
What I Thought: Meh. This comic was a rare letdown in this series... I didn't like the fate of Romulus(let's face it, Cloak isn't the ONLY character with access to the darkforce dimension, so it's just a matter of time before he's back again), and I definitely didn't like the fate of Daken. Now he's a neutered version of the character he used to be... Yeah, he's got his other claws, his training and his hatred, but the Muramasa claws made his a perpetual threat to Wolverine... Now I'm really not sure what the future holds for Daken. He can't go after Wolverine, because he has no way to defeat him, he can't go after Romulus, since he doesn't know Romulus is in the darkforce dimension, he just has nothing to do. I'll have to hope that the extremely talented Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu will find something good for Daken... I hope. As for Wolvie, he came across as a bit of a whiner here, which is something I'd never expect from Wolvie. Plus the fact that he DIDN'T kill Romulus after Romulus put him through hell for 100+ years just didn't ring through. Oh well, even the best of writers is bound to have an off comic...
Score: 6 out of 10.
DAMN YOU WOLVERINE!!!
Last Issue: 9 out of 10.
Review: This takes place directly after Dark Wolverine #86(so check that out first!). Wolverine and Cloak take Romulus back to the place of Wolvie's birth(the Howlett Estate), and Wolvie tells Romulus that he wasn't going to kill him, instead he was going to wait for Romulus to die. Romulus scoffs at that, telling Wolvie that his death would take a LONG time, which leads to Wolvie taking Romulus to the darkforce dimension that can be accessed via Cloak's... well, cloak. Wolvie leaves Romulus lost in the land of shadows, and walks over to his childhood home, admitting to himself that he was always a victim of circumstance and others, and forgives those who had used him, as well as forgiving himself. Finally Wolvie asks Cloak for one final favor, and has Cloak teleport him to Daken. Wolverine arrives at Daken's location with the Muramasa blade and tells his son that he had taken care of Romulus, and that Daken was next. And so the two battle one more time, but this time Wolverine remains in full control of his emotions, while Daken(who was still fuming over Romulus escaping his vengeance)fights like the berserker. Eventually Wolvie baits Daken into striking the Muramasa blade with his Muramasa claws, which leads to a huge shock-wave that knocks both combatants down. Before Daken can get back to his feet, Wolverine walks up to his son and stabs him through his chest with his claws, knocking him out. Wolvie then picks up the Muramasa blade, and decides that he has to finish the job with Daken, to make sure his son can no longer be a threat... From there the scene shifts to Wolvie standing over an open grave. Wolvie picks up a shovel and heads over to the grave and looks in, and we see that the Muramasa blade and Daken's two Muramasa claws are at the bottom. Wolvie proceeds to bury them, and this issue ends with Daken sitting on a bed surrounded by empty booze bottles looking at the huge scars indicating where his Muramasa claws used to be.
What I Thought: Meh. This comic was a rare letdown in this series... I didn't like the fate of Romulus(let's face it, Cloak isn't the ONLY character with access to the darkforce dimension, so it's just a matter of time before he's back again), and I definitely didn't like the fate of Daken. Now he's a neutered version of the character he used to be... Yeah, he's got his other claws, his training and his hatred, but the Muramasa claws made his a perpetual threat to Wolverine... Now I'm really not sure what the future holds for Daken. He can't go after Wolverine, because he has no way to defeat him, he can't go after Romulus, since he doesn't know Romulus is in the darkforce dimension, he just has nothing to do. I'll have to hope that the extremely talented Daniel Way and Marjorie Liu will find something good for Daken... I hope. As for Wolvie, he came across as a bit of a whiner here, which is something I'd never expect from Wolvie. Plus the fact that he DIDN'T kill Romulus after Romulus put him through hell for 100+ years just didn't ring through. Oh well, even the best of writers is bound to have an off comic...
Score: 6 out of 10.
DAMN YOU WOLVERINE!!!
Dark Wolverine #86
I'm on a roll now! Picking up where I left off yesterday, I'll be posting 5 new reviews tonight, 3 Marvels and 2 DCs. Not only that, but I also managed to finish off my Flashback Friday post today as well, so I think it's safe to say that I have successfully shaken the dreaded vacation doldrums. Well, I might as well not waste too much time on an introduction, I've got a lot of reviews to get to!
Dark Wolverine #86: Writers: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu. Pencils: Stephen Segovia.
Last Issue: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Review: We pick things up from Wolverine Origins #47, with Daken betraying his father, Wolverine, and siding with Wolverine's arch-nemesis, Romulus. Daken and Wolverine pair off and fight, while Romulus takes on the son of the Hulk, Skaar. Romulus MORE then holds his own against Skaar(huh!), while Wolvie and Daken dance the dance once more. Skaar begins to go into a Hulk rage, which brings out the military and Wolvie's entire “capture Romulus” plan begins to rapidly fall to pieces. After watching from the shadows for a time Wolvie's associate, Cloak, teleports over and take Wolvie out of the battle, explaining to him that he was causing WAY more damage then he was preventing. On top of that, during Skaar's fracas with the military, Romulus and Daken managed to sneak away in the carnage, further infuriating Wolvie. Cloak comes right out and tells Wolvie that it's about time he realizes Daken can't be trusted, and that the sooner he figures that out, the sooner he'll be able to take out Romulus. From there we head to Romulus and Daken, who were laying low in a hotel in Damascus. Romulus tells Daken his life story(he claims that he's been alive since caveman times), and that the only thing that matters to him is his vast underground empire. Daken confronts Romulus about the fact that Romulus always wanted Wolverine to one day be Romulus's heir, which leads to Daken attacking and gutting his long time mentor. Romulus is surprised, but Daken decries that fact that in Romulus's eyes, Daken was always second best to Wolverine, and Romulus doesn't deny that fact, which angers Daken even more. Finally, Daken pops out his third, Muramasa blade claws and goes to kill Romulus once and for all, but before he could strike the killing blow, Cloak arrives on the scene and teleports Romulus out of harms way, leaving Daken ranting and raving about Wolverine.
What I Thought: This issue took a bit of a step backwards from the prior issue, but it was still pretty good. The battle in the beginning of this book didn't really do anything for me, I've seen Wolvie and Daken battle numerous times, and I really don't care about Skaar at all, so I'll just skip past all that. The scene with Daken and Romulus was my favorite scene here by far. It proved a number of little things that had been hinted at for a while now, mainly the fact that Daken was never anything more then a chip Romulus could eventually play against Wolverine. This revelation was extremely hurtful to Daken, who in a warped way has always seen Romulus as a father figure(and possibly even something more), and realizing that Romulus was now, and always would be interested in Wolverine, and not him was a terrible blow to Daken's psyche. I'd imagine that's why Daken flew into a jealous rage and tried to kill Romulus. The next issue of this x-over(which takes place in Wolverine Origins #48)should deal with the final fate of Romulus at the hands of Wolvie, and as well as Daken's next move against his father. It should be good.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Daken sure has some MAJOR daddy issues...
Dark Wolverine #86: Writers: Daniel Way & Marjorie Liu. Pencils: Stephen Segovia.
Last Issue: 8 1/2 out of 10.
Review: We pick things up from Wolverine Origins #47, with Daken betraying his father, Wolverine, and siding with Wolverine's arch-nemesis, Romulus. Daken and Wolverine pair off and fight, while Romulus takes on the son of the Hulk, Skaar. Romulus MORE then holds his own against Skaar(huh!), while Wolvie and Daken dance the dance once more. Skaar begins to go into a Hulk rage, which brings out the military and Wolvie's entire “capture Romulus” plan begins to rapidly fall to pieces. After watching from the shadows for a time Wolvie's associate, Cloak, teleports over and take Wolvie out of the battle, explaining to him that he was causing WAY more damage then he was preventing. On top of that, during Skaar's fracas with the military, Romulus and Daken managed to sneak away in the carnage, further infuriating Wolvie. Cloak comes right out and tells Wolvie that it's about time he realizes Daken can't be trusted, and that the sooner he figures that out, the sooner he'll be able to take out Romulus. From there we head to Romulus and Daken, who were laying low in a hotel in Damascus. Romulus tells Daken his life story(he claims that he's been alive since caveman times), and that the only thing that matters to him is his vast underground empire. Daken confronts Romulus about the fact that Romulus always wanted Wolverine to one day be Romulus's heir, which leads to Daken attacking and gutting his long time mentor. Romulus is surprised, but Daken decries that fact that in Romulus's eyes, Daken was always second best to Wolverine, and Romulus doesn't deny that fact, which angers Daken even more. Finally, Daken pops out his third, Muramasa blade claws and goes to kill Romulus once and for all, but before he could strike the killing blow, Cloak arrives on the scene and teleports Romulus out of harms way, leaving Daken ranting and raving about Wolverine.
What I Thought: This issue took a bit of a step backwards from the prior issue, but it was still pretty good. The battle in the beginning of this book didn't really do anything for me, I've seen Wolvie and Daken battle numerous times, and I really don't care about Skaar at all, so I'll just skip past all that. The scene with Daken and Romulus was my favorite scene here by far. It proved a number of little things that had been hinted at for a while now, mainly the fact that Daken was never anything more then a chip Romulus could eventually play against Wolverine. This revelation was extremely hurtful to Daken, who in a warped way has always seen Romulus as a father figure(and possibly even something more), and realizing that Romulus was now, and always would be interested in Wolverine, and not him was a terrible blow to Daken's psyche. I'd imagine that's why Daken flew into a jealous rage and tried to kill Romulus. The next issue of this x-over(which takes place in Wolverine Origins #48)should deal with the final fate of Romulus at the hands of Wolvie, and as well as Daken's next move against his father. It should be good.
Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.
Daken sure has some MAJOR daddy issues...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Superman: War of the Supermen #4(of 4)
Quick warning, this is a LONG review!
War of the Supermen #4: Writers: James Robinson & Sterling Gates. Pencils: Eddy Barrows, Cafu & Eduardo Pansica.
Last Issue: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Review: This issue kicks off with several different panels showing us what the major players were up to, with Supergirl fighting Ursa at the White House, the heroes of Metropolis(led by Natasha Irons)flying towards Gen. Lane's secret base, Lane ordering his men to kill any Kryptonian they capture, and Superman facing off against Gen. Zod in the heart of Metropolis. Supes is able to hold off most of Zod's men, but Zod himself is another story, as he drops an aircraft carrier on top of the Man of Steel, killing hundreds of innocent civilians in the process. Back at the White House, Ursa is getting the upper hand against Supergirl until she is assisted by Krypto, Superboy, Guardian and Steel, and before long Ursa is locked up in some Gold Kryptonite shackles(remember, Gold Kryptonite removes super-powers from Kryptonians). Superboy sends Krypto to the Fortress of Solitude to retrieve something, while Superman emerges from the destroyed aircraft carrier in Metropolis and renews his attack on Zod. Zod reveals to Supes that he had sent Non to deal with the Justice League, and a quick scene shifts reveals that Non is doing just that. Before Non can kill anybody though, Krypto and Superboy arrive on the scene and Superboy blasts Non with the Phantom Zone projector, pulling the Kryptonian strongman into the vast nothingness that is the Phantom Zone. While Superboy and Krypto are heading around the world putting Kryptonians into the Phantom Zone, the rest of the Metropolis heroes are launching an all-out attack on Gen. Lane's secret bunker headquarters. The heroes make quick work of Lane's forces, including Atlas and Superwoman, while Guardian finally meets and beats the man responsible for the death of the original Guardian, Codename: Assassin. Upon hearing Gen. Lane barking orders, Supergirl leaves the rest of the heroes and heads towards the man responsible for destroying New Krypton. Back in Metropolis, Zod has his men pin Supes down, while he pulls out a knife made of Green Kryptonite. Before Zod can drive the knife into Superman's chest, Superboy and Krypto arrive on the scene and save Big Blue. Superboy blasts Zod's men with the Phantom Zone projector, sending them away, which infuriates Zod, causing him to throw the knife towards the distracted Superboy. Before the knife can impale SB, Krypto dives in the way and takes the knife straight through the chest(!). Back at Lane's base, Supergirl finds the General and begins to give him a thrashing before grabbing Gen. Lane by the throat. She then begins to strangle the life out of him, but is halted by Lois Lane, who begs SG not to sink to her father's level. SG relents, and allows Gen. Lane to fall to the floor, while Lois tells SG that her father would pay for his crimes in an international court. Gen Lane has other ideas and proceeds to put his handgun in his mouth and pulls the trigger(!!!), guaranteeing that he wouldn't be going to any war crimes trial. Superman attacks Zod anew in Metropolis, and tells SB to take Krypto into direct sunlight so that the dog's Kryptonian healing abilities would save it. With SB out of the picture, Superman grabs the Phantom Zone projector and fires it at both himself and Zod, deciding that he was more then willing to head into the Phantom Zone with Zod to guarantee Zod never escapes again. As the two adversaries were being pulled into the Phantom Zone, Chris Kent(Nightwing)arrives on the scene and tells Supes that humankind needed Superman, and that he'd go back to the Phantom Zone to watch over Zod. Chris tosses Supes out of the Zone and destroys the Phantom Zone projector, making sure that he'd be trapped with Zod forever, while Supes loses his adopted son to Zod yet again... And that's the end of the main part of this story as we head to a few epilogues. Lois visits the grave of her father and leaves it with no emotions. Supergirl leaves a single Kryptonian flower on some of the rubble where New Krypton used to be, while Guardian, his daughter and his niece leave Metropolis, but not before Guardian's niece reveals she was pregnant with the child of Mon-El. Mon-El locates Chris Kent in the Phantom Zone and is shocked to see that Chris had reverted back to his original age(probably about 7 years old or so). Chris tells Mon that he was slowly forgetting his time as Nightwing, and the two decide to travel to the unknown reaches of the Phantom Zone together. Finally, we close things out with Supes and Lois standing together while Supes mourns the death of his people again.
What I Thought: Fantastic! That's what I thought! This mini-series did SO much right that I could easily type up a 10 page essay detailing just how awesome it was. Sure, there were a few things that I didn't like(like Chris Kent being sent back to the Phantom Zone and de-aged, and um... that was it I guess!), but overall this was probably one of my favorite mini-series in a LONG time. After reading this I think I'm now a firm believer that NO comic book mini-series or x-over should go longer then 4 issues. There wasn't a single dead spot in this story, much like Siege(which also ran 4 issues), as opposed to the snooze-fests that Cry for Justice(7 issues)and Blackest Night(8 issues)were. James and Sterling proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that an excellent story CAN be told in 4 issues. Oh, and one more thing, each issue of this mini was only $2.99, so thank you for that DC. As for the Superman world, everything is back to the status quo. New Krypton is gone, allowing Supes to go back to Metropolis, Lex Luthor was given control of his company back by Gen. Lane for helping him out, Gen. Lane(and his paranoia)is dead, Mon-El is gone, as are Nightwing, Flamebird and Guardian. Although I really enjoyed Mon's Superman run and Nightwing and Flamebird's run in Action Comics, I think most DC fans have been eagerly awaiting Superman to retake his spot in both of those series(although it seems like Lex Luthor will be starring in Action now). Supergirl's comic should be VERY interesting in the upcoming months, as she has to deal with the loss of her mother and her people, while Supes will have to deal with similar loss, as he has the dual loss of his people and his adopted son(again). Before I end this review, I will say one more thing... This mini helped me remember why I was such a fan of James Robinson's writing. After the disgrace that was Cry for Justice, I seriously thought he'd lost his writing skills, but thankfully it seems that Cry was just a horrible aberration. Here's hoping the good James is back from now on!
Score: 10 out of 10. A well deserved perfect score for a magnificent mini-series.
Goodbye Gen. Lane...
War of the Supermen #4: Writers: James Robinson & Sterling Gates. Pencils: Eddy Barrows, Cafu & Eduardo Pansica.
Last Issue: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Review: This issue kicks off with several different panels showing us what the major players were up to, with Supergirl fighting Ursa at the White House, the heroes of Metropolis(led by Natasha Irons)flying towards Gen. Lane's secret base, Lane ordering his men to kill any Kryptonian they capture, and Superman facing off against Gen. Zod in the heart of Metropolis. Supes is able to hold off most of Zod's men, but Zod himself is another story, as he drops an aircraft carrier on top of the Man of Steel, killing hundreds of innocent civilians in the process. Back at the White House, Ursa is getting the upper hand against Supergirl until she is assisted by Krypto, Superboy, Guardian and Steel, and before long Ursa is locked up in some Gold Kryptonite shackles(remember, Gold Kryptonite removes super-powers from Kryptonians). Superboy sends Krypto to the Fortress of Solitude to retrieve something, while Superman emerges from the destroyed aircraft carrier in Metropolis and renews his attack on Zod. Zod reveals to Supes that he had sent Non to deal with the Justice League, and a quick scene shifts reveals that Non is doing just that. Before Non can kill anybody though, Krypto and Superboy arrive on the scene and Superboy blasts Non with the Phantom Zone projector, pulling the Kryptonian strongman into the vast nothingness that is the Phantom Zone. While Superboy and Krypto are heading around the world putting Kryptonians into the Phantom Zone, the rest of the Metropolis heroes are launching an all-out attack on Gen. Lane's secret bunker headquarters. The heroes make quick work of Lane's forces, including Atlas and Superwoman, while Guardian finally meets and beats the man responsible for the death of the original Guardian, Codename: Assassin. Upon hearing Gen. Lane barking orders, Supergirl leaves the rest of the heroes and heads towards the man responsible for destroying New Krypton. Back in Metropolis, Zod has his men pin Supes down, while he pulls out a knife made of Green Kryptonite. Before Zod can drive the knife into Superman's chest, Superboy and Krypto arrive on the scene and save Big Blue. Superboy blasts Zod's men with the Phantom Zone projector, sending them away, which infuriates Zod, causing him to throw the knife towards the distracted Superboy. Before the knife can impale SB, Krypto dives in the way and takes the knife straight through the chest(!). Back at Lane's base, Supergirl finds the General and begins to give him a thrashing before grabbing Gen. Lane by the throat. She then begins to strangle the life out of him, but is halted by Lois Lane, who begs SG not to sink to her father's level. SG relents, and allows Gen. Lane to fall to the floor, while Lois tells SG that her father would pay for his crimes in an international court. Gen Lane has other ideas and proceeds to put his handgun in his mouth and pulls the trigger(!!!), guaranteeing that he wouldn't be going to any war crimes trial. Superman attacks Zod anew in Metropolis, and tells SB to take Krypto into direct sunlight so that the dog's Kryptonian healing abilities would save it. With SB out of the picture, Superman grabs the Phantom Zone projector and fires it at both himself and Zod, deciding that he was more then willing to head into the Phantom Zone with Zod to guarantee Zod never escapes again. As the two adversaries were being pulled into the Phantom Zone, Chris Kent(Nightwing)arrives on the scene and tells Supes that humankind needed Superman, and that he'd go back to the Phantom Zone to watch over Zod. Chris tosses Supes out of the Zone and destroys the Phantom Zone projector, making sure that he'd be trapped with Zod forever, while Supes loses his adopted son to Zod yet again... And that's the end of the main part of this story as we head to a few epilogues. Lois visits the grave of her father and leaves it with no emotions. Supergirl leaves a single Kryptonian flower on some of the rubble where New Krypton used to be, while Guardian, his daughter and his niece leave Metropolis, but not before Guardian's niece reveals she was pregnant with the child of Mon-El. Mon-El locates Chris Kent in the Phantom Zone and is shocked to see that Chris had reverted back to his original age(probably about 7 years old or so). Chris tells Mon that he was slowly forgetting his time as Nightwing, and the two decide to travel to the unknown reaches of the Phantom Zone together. Finally, we close things out with Supes and Lois standing together while Supes mourns the death of his people again.
What I Thought: Fantastic! That's what I thought! This mini-series did SO much right that I could easily type up a 10 page essay detailing just how awesome it was. Sure, there were a few things that I didn't like(like Chris Kent being sent back to the Phantom Zone and de-aged, and um... that was it I guess!), but overall this was probably one of my favorite mini-series in a LONG time. After reading this I think I'm now a firm believer that NO comic book mini-series or x-over should go longer then 4 issues. There wasn't a single dead spot in this story, much like Siege(which also ran 4 issues), as opposed to the snooze-fests that Cry for Justice(7 issues)and Blackest Night(8 issues)were. James and Sterling proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that an excellent story CAN be told in 4 issues. Oh, and one more thing, each issue of this mini was only $2.99, so thank you for that DC. As for the Superman world, everything is back to the status quo. New Krypton is gone, allowing Supes to go back to Metropolis, Lex Luthor was given control of his company back by Gen. Lane for helping him out, Gen. Lane(and his paranoia)is dead, Mon-El is gone, as are Nightwing, Flamebird and Guardian. Although I really enjoyed Mon's Superman run and Nightwing and Flamebird's run in Action Comics, I think most DC fans have been eagerly awaiting Superman to retake his spot in both of those series(although it seems like Lex Luthor will be starring in Action now). Supergirl's comic should be VERY interesting in the upcoming months, as she has to deal with the loss of her mother and her people, while Supes will have to deal with similar loss, as he has the dual loss of his people and his adopted son(again). Before I end this review, I will say one more thing... This mini helped me remember why I was such a fan of James Robinson's writing. After the disgrace that was Cry for Justice, I seriously thought he'd lost his writing skills, but thankfully it seems that Cry was just a horrible aberration. Here's hoping the good James is back from now on!
Score: 10 out of 10. A well deserved perfect score for a magnificent mini-series.
Goodbye Gen. Lane...
Superman: War of the Supermen #3(of 4)
War of the Supermen #3: Writers: James Robinson & Sterling Gates. Pencils: Cafu.
Last Issue: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Review: This issue begins with Gen. Lane gloating about his crushing victory over the Kryptonians. Before he can break into his happy dance though, he is informed by one of his officers that his Mount Rushmore base had been compromised. The Metropolis heroes manage to free Steel's niece from captivity, and once she gives the information she had about Gen. Lane up, Jimmy Olsen begins to upload that info on the Internet. Flamebird realizes what Gen. Lane had done to the sun, and she flies off while the Metropolis heroes are trying to mop up Lane's defenders a Mount Rushmore. Once Nightwing gets wind of what Flamebird was up to, he follows after her, and the two fly towards the sun. Flamebird and Nightwing discuss what they should do to try to reverse what Luthor did to the sun, and the Nightwing entity that was residing inside the body of Chris Kent suddenly teleports Chris away from Flamebird, telling him that his final fate lies elsewhere. With Chris gone, Flamebird flies into the sun and sacrifices her life to turn the sun yellow again, thus re-powering the Kryptonians. Gen. Lane freaks out, and Superman and Supergirl angrily turn away from Mars and begin to head towards the Earth. Unfortunately, Gen. Zod and half of the Kryptonian army arrives there first and they begin to decimate the armies of the Earth. The Kryptonians prove to be too strong, too fast and too well organized, and they begin to rapidly route the forces of Earth. Zod's top lieutenant, Ursa heads to the White House and destroys it while looking for Gen. Lane. After leaving the White House, Ursa is confronted by an angry Supergirl, and the two attack each other. Meanwhile, Zod and a majority of the Kryptonian army begin to fly towards Metropolis, where the only person standing between him and the destruction of the city is Superman.
What I Thought: I've got to say, I'm LOVING this mini-series! It's easily my favorite mini of the year so far, and unless the ending is HORRIBLE, I can't imagine that changing after I read the next/last issue. This mini is everything that Blackest Night wasn't, it's fast paced, has a nice, well thought-out story, and is heading towards a very satisfying ending. Great stuff here.
Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.
You KNOW issue #4 is going to be awesome!!!
Last Issue: 9 1/2 out of 10.
Review: This issue begins with Gen. Lane gloating about his crushing victory over the Kryptonians. Before he can break into his happy dance though, he is informed by one of his officers that his Mount Rushmore base had been compromised. The Metropolis heroes manage to free Steel's niece from captivity, and once she gives the information she had about Gen. Lane up, Jimmy Olsen begins to upload that info on the Internet. Flamebird realizes what Gen. Lane had done to the sun, and she flies off while the Metropolis heroes are trying to mop up Lane's defenders a Mount Rushmore. Once Nightwing gets wind of what Flamebird was up to, he follows after her, and the two fly towards the sun. Flamebird and Nightwing discuss what they should do to try to reverse what Luthor did to the sun, and the Nightwing entity that was residing inside the body of Chris Kent suddenly teleports Chris away from Flamebird, telling him that his final fate lies elsewhere. With Chris gone, Flamebird flies into the sun and sacrifices her life to turn the sun yellow again, thus re-powering the Kryptonians. Gen. Lane freaks out, and Superman and Supergirl angrily turn away from Mars and begin to head towards the Earth. Unfortunately, Gen. Zod and half of the Kryptonian army arrives there first and they begin to decimate the armies of the Earth. The Kryptonians prove to be too strong, too fast and too well organized, and they begin to rapidly route the forces of Earth. Zod's top lieutenant, Ursa heads to the White House and destroys it while looking for Gen. Lane. After leaving the White House, Ursa is confronted by an angry Supergirl, and the two attack each other. Meanwhile, Zod and a majority of the Kryptonian army begin to fly towards Metropolis, where the only person standing between him and the destruction of the city is Superman.
What I Thought: I've got to say, I'm LOVING this mini-series! It's easily my favorite mini of the year so far, and unless the ending is HORRIBLE, I can't imagine that changing after I read the next/last issue. This mini is everything that Blackest Night wasn't, it's fast paced, has a nice, well thought-out story, and is heading towards a very satisfying ending. Great stuff here.
Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.
You KNOW issue #4 is going to be awesome!!!
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