Marvel Comics
Alpha Flight #8: Another book by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente is going by the wayside. Alpha Flight goes out with a bang and hopefully someone will come back to the characters.
Pak and Van Lente give the book a nice ending. Almost every thread in the story is completed, but given the opportunity, they could have done a lot with these characters. I wasn't the biggest fan of the whole "Unity is space aliens" twist, but #8 delivers a good ending. Every character is given a moment to shine, considering we don't know when we will be seeing these characters again. The duo use Wolverine well, making sure that he doesn't take over the book. It's a great example of having a big character bring in readers, but still focus on what the book is all about. Hopefully Pak and Van Lente can bring these characters back in one of their other books. Or maybe a miniseries with the upcoming Avengers vs X-Men event.
Dale Eaglesham continues to deliver some of his best work. Action looks great, and the characters have a lot of expression in their face. The final page with the whole team on them will be an iconic image for fans of the team for years to come.
Alpha Flight #8 gets 4/5.
Dark Horse Comics
Angel & Faith #6: Much like the days when Buffy and Angel were on TV, Angel is doing a lot better than the original, even if not as many people are checking it out.
Christos Gage continues to write Angel and Faith in pitch perfect tone. Also, he's using Giles perfectly from the grave as well. I can't wait to see more of Giles as a kid. Some are going to bitch and moan about the continuity between this book and the show, but who cares. When Gage is writing this great, just let the man work. It's clear Faith has grown as a person, and Gage references the show well. The ending is one that will get the fans talking, and it really surprised me. The final reveal isn't the only big character addition, as we also see that Faith's father is in London. Gage has set up the makings of another great arc. If only more people would read it, so I wasn't terrified of it getting cancelled.
Rebekah Issacs is the perfect penciler for this type of book. The characters continue to mirror their actor counterparts while giving them her own touch. Angel's eyes convey so much sadness when he is clearly thinking about what he did to Giles. In some scenes, you don't even need to read the dialogue to see what Angel or Faith are feeling. Issacs injects that much emotion into every facial movement and the eyes. My god the crazy in Darla's eyes.....
Angel & Faith #6 gets 4/5.
DC Comics
Aquaman #5: Geoff Johns continues to write Aquaman as a complete badass. Let the fish out of water jokes begin.
Let it be said that Johns knows when to take a back seat to the penciler. Aquaman #5 is a very quick read, with many pages void of dialogue. I wish that Johns could have let this move a tad slower, but it's still a good issue. One of my main enjoyments of this book has been from Johns telling Aquaman jokes, and naturally takes advantage of the situation to tell a few. #5 seems to act like a transition between the first and second arc. But in reality, it leaves me wanting a little more. It just didn't feel like enough.
But Ivan Reis' art more than makes up for the lack in story. The desert scenes are simply beautiful, with Reis using cinema wide panels to let the reader marvel at his talent. The action scenes on the helicopter look great as always. If Reis could stay on this book forever, I'd be happy.
Aquaman #5 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Deadpool #49.1: Another .1 issue, and another one that doesn't understand what a .1 issue is suppose to be.
I'll admit that I have still been a fan of Daniel Way's Deadpool, even with it's dip in quality for the last year. The idea of having a Deadpool musical is a very funny one, and the concept works here. But what it does not do is bring new readers into what is going on. The book goes over what has happened from Deadpool #1 back in 2008 during the Secret Invasion tie in. But it doesn't even go all the way up to what has happened. It stops when Deadpool gets in to space, glossing over what happened in the asylum. Maybe that's what Way intended. But it doesn't even give a good reason as to WHY Deadpool wants to die all of a sudden. Yeah, he has a sad life, but I'd like some event or thing to push him over the edge. Hopefully Way will elaborate on it in the Dead arc in #50.
John McCrea's art is serviceable. It has it's moments where it looks great for a Deadpool book, then at some points it doesn't look good at all. I'm happy that Carlos Barberi is going to be coming back to Deadpool for the Dead arc. I miss his pencils on Deadpool. Besides Paco Medina, he has done the best on Deadpool.
Deadpool #49.1 gets 2.5/5.
Marvel Comics
Fantastic Four #602: With Jonathan Hickman's run on the Fantastic Four coming to a close soon (according to him), he is certainly going out with a bang.
The scope of this arc could not be bigger. And thankfully he doesn't lose sight of the fact that this book is starring the Fantastic Four. Everyone on the team gets a nice moment, even Spider-Man. She-Hulk also gets a nice little moment, which made me smile. It still has the feeling to me that everything will be fine in the end, because if it isn't, the Marvel Universe is over. It will have lasting effects on the team for sure, but not the entire Marvel Universe. Hickman keeps upping the ante every issue in a believable way, adding an even bigger baddie to the list of people who are threatening the Fantastic Four and the FF.
Barry Kitson pencils a good issue. His pencils fit the cosmic atmosphere well, and it might be a part of Marvel that he should stick around in. The action feels big, as does Galactus. You look at him on the page and are hit with the awe of how massive he is. Mr. Fantastic's elastic power hasn't looked this good in a while.
Fantastic Four #602 gets 4/5 (I originally gave this a 3.5, but upped it after rereading the issue).
DC Comics
The Flash #5: It's not often that at the end of an issue I'm stunned with the possibility of what is to come.
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have created a great Flash book. Time travel is a usual topic for the Flash, but it's used in a great way. I'm happy the arc has ended, so we can see more of Barry and Patty, who are given a quick moment near the end of the book. The book was clearly made for the artistic aspect, but Manapul and Buccellato haven't sacrificed anything on the writing aspect. The have the voice of the Flash/Barry nailed down well. The threat of Captain Cold in the next arc has me excited as well. He seems a lot tougher than the previous one. But the ending is the real high point. I put the book down and had to stop for a second to think about how much could potentially go wrong with this revelation.
On a side note, are we going to get any hint as to Barry remembering the old continuity?
The real reason this book is such a success is the art. Every page oozes with the intensity that a book starring the Flash needs. Almost every page could be framed and put up on a wall. I look forward to this book every month to see what new tricks this team can pull out of their hat. And so far, they haven't disappointed for a second.
The Flash #5 gets 4.5/5.
DC Comics
Justice League #5: This issue is going to piss off a lot of people. And yes, I am one of those people.
Before the bashing, Geoff Johns delivers another safe comic. It moves the plot along well enough, making me look forward to #6. Darkseid is menacing, and has the evil atmosphere that he deserves given his deep and rich history. But Johns does some very odd things with the characters. Wonder Woman still has nothing to say but battle cries, and Aquaman only says a couple of things. The big thing though is what Batman does near the end. No. No no no. There is no reason at all that Bruce Wayne would do this. His empowering speech? Yes. What he does next? No way in hell. Isn't Bruce Wayne suppose to be one of the richest people in the DC Universe? How does Green Lantern not know who he is? It just doesn't make sense in the grand scheme of things. And this is suppose to be the flagship title for DC.
Jim Lee's art doesn't seem as refined as the past few issues have been. His art is brought down by the plethora of inkers, which gives the book an inconsistent feeling. Focusing on the pencils though, they do look great. They have a classic super hero look to them. The Flash especially looks great. The final page had me staring for a bit.
Justice League #5 gets 3.5/5.
Marvel Comics
Secret Avengers #21.1: Rick Remender can seriously do no wrong with any book he touches in the Marvel Universe.
I'm going to say it now, I'm already sick of the Avengers vs X-Men banner over the top of the comic. Why the need to bring it up 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT HAPPENS?! I liked the way Marvel use to do it. They would have a little ad under the number of the comic. Like the did for Siege and Fear Itself.
Rick Remender sets up his run very well. He has a great hold on the Captain America/Hawkeye relationship, and brings readers up to speed very fast on how these two interact. Some moments seem very out of character for Cap, but in the end it all makes sense. The comic is full of pure espionage fun, being dosed with plenty of humor throughout. Remender brings the Shadow Council back to the forefront in a good way, and Remender seems to be treating them more like a Bond villain that a general conspiracy. So far the new angle works well. Hawkeye will be a great leader of the Secret Avengers. Remender has a great grasp on his voice.
Patrick Zircher's pencils fit the atmosphere well. They have a Bond-esque look to them, which works perfectly with Remender's script. His pencils look really good for the Phantom Rider. Sadly there isn't a Ghost Rider book around for him to pencil.
Secret Avengers #21.1 gets 4.5/5.
Old Comics
The Amazing Spider-Man #678 gets 4/5.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6 gets 5/5.
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