Marvel Comics
Avenging Spider-Man #3: At the end of it's first arc, Avenging Spider-Man looks to be a title to watch for plain old fun. Oh, and fantastic characterizations for Spider-Man.
Zeb Wells wrote one of the best arcs during the Brand New Day era, Shed. With the end of this arc, he keeps writing Spider-Man pitch perfect. I love Dan Slott, but Zeb Wells is the best Spider-Man writer at Marvel. He balances the humor and drama, blending the two great. There are a few panels in this book I'll show to anyone to show why Spider-Man is such an enduring character. Wells also adds some great moments for the Red Hulk and J. Jonah Jameson. Mole Man has been left in a new, more menacing, role after this arc. Very excited to see what Mark Waid does with this in Daredevil. The issue does end in an abrupt way, even if it's hysterical. It's packaged a little to nice. But when the rest of the issue is fantastic, who cares.
Joe Madureira pencils his best issue of the arc. The "not using inks" choice isn't as blatant as previous issues, and looks better this issue. Having Spider-Man be lankier is a great choice that some pencilers seem to always forget. Spider-Man has always been thin as a rail. The spinning spike of that blue rock pops off the screen. I'm going to miss Mad in the next few issues (especially with Greg Land penciling the next issue).
Avenging Spider-Man #3 gets 4/5.
DC Comics
Batman #5: Wow.....I'm simply speechless at this comic.
Scott Snyder writes one hell of an issue. It's perfect on every level. He brings Batman to a place we have never seen him before. He's wounded and lost and trying to deduce what happens next. For as long as comic book fans can remember, he as been the go to guy for the history of Gotham. He knows everything about this city. It's scary to see Batman not know what is going on around him and someone else have the control over him that he has over other. And the thought to flip the book upside down at points was pure genius. Snyder even gives Damien a few panels, and they are fantastic. I am out of things to say about how amazing this book is. Buy it.
Greg Capullo is equally brilliant on art duties. Every page is instills the reader with the horror that Batman is feeling. He uses the obtuse angles well when the comic shifts perspectives. The last Batman page leaves the reader stunned, even when we know it won't last. That's how amazing it looks. I'm terrified of Talon every time he pokes his head around a corner.
Batman #5 gets 5/5.
Greg Capullo is equally brilliant on art duties. Every page is instills the reader with the horror that Batman is feeling. He uses the obtuse angles well when the comic shifts perspectives. The last Batman page leaves the reader stunned, even when we know it won't last. That's how amazing it looks. I'm terrified of Talon every time he pokes his head around a corner.
Batman #5 gets 5/5.
Image Comics
Chew #23: During this arc of Chew, I have had a lot of questions about what the fuck is going on. John Layman and Rob Guillory give us plenty of answers as to what is join on with the life of Tony Chu.
A lot of stuff hasn't made sense the last few months. This issue not only answers all those questions, but also does it in a very entertaining way. Dan Franks hatred of Tony was always assumed to be about Amelia, but never explained. In Layman's usual fashion, he gives us a quick recap of who the guy is and why he is doing it. And it makes since in this twisted universe Layman and Guillory have created. The baseball player angle was another one I didn't understand, but now I love it. It's hysterical. The B-story, involving Colby, was a small treat. Lettuce dollar bills.....awesome.
Guillory's art is better than usual this month. It's hard to put my finger on what he did so well, but everything works great. The characters hyper-expressive faces look fantastic, but not overly cartoony, as can be the case in some issues. The lion's reactions to Colby's misfortunes gave me a big smile.
Chew #23 gets 5/5.
Marvel Comics
Daredevil #8: Mark Waid's perfect run on Daredevil continues with this quick team up with Spider-Man.
After reading the first part, I wasn't sure how this was going to tie into the overall narrative of Daredevil. Leave it to Waid to find a way. He handles the Spider-Man/Daredevil relationship well. Well enough that Spidey should be appearing in this book more often. This one issue even progresses alone the Amazing Spider-Man. The Black Cat is a great angle that, for some reason, didn't occur to me. Black Cat seemed to be over her villain ways. Waid writes a great Black Cat. She is strong, sexy, and never comes across as something other than that. Which happens more than you'd think at Marvel. Spider-Man is one quipping son of a bitch and all the jokes land.
Kano fills in this month on art, and his art meshes well with Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin. This is the best example of a fill in issue. The art is strong, but also looks like past issues. This leave the reader not as confused, and the transition isn't jolting. The action scenes look well, and Black Cat is sexy as all hell.
Daredevil #5 gets 5/5.
Marvel Comics
The Invincible Iron Man #512: Now this is the slow burn that I'm use to with Iron Man.
Matt Fraction has always been great at tearing Tony Stark down a peg. This new assault by the Mandarin seems to be one of the best. It's not nearly as interesting as Stark slowly killing himself, but it's still a great read. Fraction really sets up the Mandarin well, making him more sinister than ever. The side characters get plenty of time, with the body armor scene being the shining gem. Readers looking for massive battles like the cover implies will sadly be disappointed, but tons of action hasn't been the staple of Fraction's run with Tony Stark.
Salvador Larroca does a good job overall. Some of the characters look a little shiny, but the suits of armor look great. It's really all you can say at this point in his long run on the book. The beginning looks the best, with the reader being able to see the fear in his face.
Invincible Iron Man #512 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Moon Knight #9: With Bendis' run probably ending after #12, he looks to be going out with a bang.
While the three voices in his head hasn't won over all the critics, it's put to great use here. Spector uses them as a tactical advantage, and the voices know this. Naturally Wolverine goes a little over the edge. This leads to scene which was a general surprise to me. But the big plot twist comes at the end. I'm surprised Bendis didn't wait to do this in #12 (most likely the final issue of Bendis' run), but it hits the emotional chords it needs too. The quick side notes aren't needed, but still work well in the story.
Alex Maleev is channeling his Daredevil especially here. The action scenes look great, and they are all helped along by the magnificent colors. Even with the mask over his face, the reader can easily see the shock on Marc Spector's face. Even Bendis leaves, can Alex Maleev stay?
Moon Knight #9 gets 4/5.
Images Comics
Morning Glories #15: I have always explained Morning Glories as LOST in high school, and this issue is more LOST-y than before.
Nick Spencer writes one of his bests character driven issues yet. Zoe takes up most of the issue, but that's never a burden. Her long chat with Hunter shakes him to the core, and as a long time reader, I'm excited to see where he's going to go emotionally. Yeah, the ending is shocking and will start lots of talks amongst fans. This episode is very reminiscent of LOST, especially because there is a mysterious hatch and the weird numbers come back. I write this while wearing my ">: 4 8 15 16 23 42" shirt. #16 can't be released soon enough.
Joe Eisma pencils one of his best issues on Morning Glories. Every panel oozes with the hurtfulness that Hunter is feeling. It's clear he didn't want to hear it but needed too. Some complain his detail isn't as great as other pencilers, but his style fits very well in with the story.
Morning Glories #15 gets 5/5.
I'll start with the good. #5 is a great one and done story. It progresses the story, gives us a reason to come back next month, and gives us a short story as well. This is all good things a one and done comic should do. What I have questions about is this: how long is the Haley Circus thing going to last? I feel like having Nightwing travel around the country is going to hinder the story eventually. It fits the assassin story well, but after that, I just don't see this working. Hopefully the plot point won't wear out it's welcomeThe ending works well, even if it can bee seen coming a mile away. To bad Barbara can't be featured more in the story.
Eddy Barrows seems to be having a blast on pencils. The big demon looks amazing, and watching Dick Grayson flip around the scene never gets old. I could read a book like that all day. Throughout the five issues though, I notice that Barrows makes his characters smile in a very....creepy way. Nothing big, but kind of funny.
Nightwing #5 gets 4/5.
Kieron Gillen adds a lot of character this issue. All the characters get some great lines and panels, even if Hope should never ever be attracted to Namor. That wasn't the only weird moment though. Some of the things Psylocke said made it seem like she wanted X-Force to be uncovered. Maybe she does. Storm also says some odd things. But other than that, it's a vast improvement on character work. Gillen uses the events of Uncanny X-Force well, bringing readers up to date fast and effectively. The plot is a good one overall. Now I may be nitpicking, or missed a previous panel it was said in, but when did the X-Men and Avengers suddenly become at odds in the press' eyes? It comes out of nowhere from Steve Rogers. It's the worst example of an event poking it's fingers in books.
Greg Land is a little worse than usual this month. Characters lines don't match the faces that Land gives them. The Immortal Man looks great, but everything is staged more than usual. The Tabula Rasa looks exactly like EPCOT's Spaceship Earth in Walt Disney World. The environments look great as well.
Uncanny X-Men #5 gets 3.5/5.
Old Comics
The Amazing Spider-Man #677 gets 5/5.
New Avengers #20 gets 3.5/5
Joe Eisma pencils one of his best issues on Morning Glories. Every panel oozes with the hurtfulness that Hunter is feeling. It's clear he didn't want to hear it but needed too. Some complain his detail isn't as great as other pencilers, but his style fits very well in with the story.
Morning Glories #15 gets 5/5.
DC Comics
Nightwing #5: Kyle Higgans continues his very good run on Nightwing, but there are some things that are starting to bug me.I'll start with the good. #5 is a great one and done story. It progresses the story, gives us a reason to come back next month, and gives us a short story as well. This is all good things a one and done comic should do. What I have questions about is this: how long is the Haley Circus thing going to last? I feel like having Nightwing travel around the country is going to hinder the story eventually. It fits the assassin story well, but after that, I just don't see this working. Hopefully the plot point won't wear out it's welcomeThe ending works well, even if it can bee seen coming a mile away. To bad Barbara can't be featured more in the story.
Eddy Barrows seems to be having a blast on pencils. The big demon looks amazing, and watching Dick Grayson flip around the scene never gets old. I could read a book like that all day. Throughout the five issues though, I notice that Barrows makes his characters smile in a very....creepy way. Nothing big, but kind of funny.
Nightwing #5 gets 4/5.
Icon
Superior #7: I have a lot of problems with Mark Millar's writing these days, but the shining light of his creator owned things have been Superior.
All through Superior, Mark Millar has written these books with a sense of innocence. As a reader, that innocence has always been threatened, be it from Maddie trying to sleep with him or Sharpie. And in the end, innocence prevailed. The ending was a little cliche, but I really liked it. It would have been ideal to see the story closed out in a more effective way, but this does leave plenty of room for these guys if they decide to return to the characters.
The real star of Superior has always been Leinil Yu. His pencils have been astonishing. Everything is bigger than life itself and the action scenes are some of the best in comics right now. It's easy to just stare at every page for long times, even after you have read the page a few times. If Mark Millar isn't sure about returning to Superior, I hope he does just so he can have Yu pencil more pages like this.
Superior gets 4.5/5.
Uncanny X-Men #5: The first four issues of the new volume haven't been as great as the previous volume, or Wolverine & the X-Men for that matter, it's slowly improving.The real star of Superior has always been Leinil Yu. His pencils have been astonishing. Everything is bigger than life itself and the action scenes are some of the best in comics right now. It's easy to just stare at every page for long times, even after you have read the page a few times. If Mark Millar isn't sure about returning to Superior, I hope he does just so he can have Yu pencil more pages like this.
Superior gets 4.5/5.
Marvel Comics
Kieron Gillen adds a lot of character this issue. All the characters get some great lines and panels, even if Hope should never ever be attracted to Namor. That wasn't the only weird moment though. Some of the things Psylocke said made it seem like she wanted X-Force to be uncovered. Maybe she does. Storm also says some odd things. But other than that, it's a vast improvement on character work. Gillen uses the events of Uncanny X-Force well, bringing readers up to date fast and effectively. The plot is a good one overall. Now I may be nitpicking, or missed a previous panel it was said in, but when did the X-Men and Avengers suddenly become at odds in the press' eyes? It comes out of nowhere from Steve Rogers. It's the worst example of an event poking it's fingers in books.
Greg Land is a little worse than usual this month. Characters lines don't match the faces that Land gives them. The Immortal Man looks great, but everything is staged more than usual. The Tabula Rasa looks exactly like EPCOT's Spaceship Earth in Walt Disney World. The environments look great as well.
Uncanny X-Men #5 gets 3.5/5.
Marvel Comics
Venom #12: Rick Remender is throwing Flash Thompson through the ringer, and it's a blast to read.
In the first few panels, we see what appears to be Thompson drinking. It's devastating as a reader, because we know it's a vice for him. But that's how much work Remender has done with Flash. We care about him that much. This issue is a very big fight scene, but it's still oozing with character work. The ending is particularly devastating, leaving the reader to feel nothing but sadness for out hero. With this great character work, I can't wait to see what Remender does with Venom in Secret Avengers starting later this month.
Lan Medina's pencils are fantastic. They suit a Venom book well. The symbiote looks terrifying, as well as the action scenes. The fights is brutal, and Medina brings that out. I miss Tony Moor, but I wouldn't mind if Medina never left pencils.
Venom #12 gets 4/5.
Old Comics
The Amazing Spider-Man #677 gets 5/5.
New Avengers #20 gets 3.5/5
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