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| Dark Horse Comics |
Christos Gage ends the Daddy Issues arc well. Long time fans of the series, and even knew fans will have their heart strings tugged at. Gage has shown before that he has a great hold on Angel, but #9 puts that on display to it's fullest. Gage's script perfectly shows why Angel is still an interesting character to this day and why fans love him still. Faith also gets some time, but this issue is all about Angel and his hard decisions. This issue will ultimately haunt Angel for some time, even if Faith forgives him. Gage writes the action scenes with plenty of suspense and full of emotion. You're reading this thinking "C'mon Angel! GO ANGEL!" That doesn't happen very often in comics, let alone on a regular basis in the same series. As always with Gage's scripts, I can hear the actors saying their lines in my head. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait another month to buy #10.
Rebekah Issacs pencils her best issue to date. Much like Gage's script, it's full of emotion, with the reader being able to see Angel's eyes and see how he feels instantly. Darla going from sane to insane in three panels is simply inspiring, as Issacs hits every emotion pitch perfect. Action scenes look great as always. Even with highly populate scenes, characters retain a great amount of detail. Issacs really has made a fantastic name for herself on this series. Her career can only go up from this book.
Angel & Faith #9 gets 4.5/5.
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| DC Comics |
Geoff Johns had a fairly straight forward first arc, but he's going deep into the Aquaman mythology in this arc. It's fun to see a young Arthur, showing us how far he has come as a hero since he was younger. But even with all the mythos diving, Johns still gives Mera and Arthur some nice character moments. The there panel joke about Ya'Wara's and Aquaman's connection was pure genius. #8 is all about the past, with Johns flipping between many time periods without skipping a beat. Even the opening couple of pages add a lot to the history of Aquaman. I'm a reader who had never read an Aquaman story before this series, so it's good to have Johns touch on the past. Much more questions are brought up then solved, but enough are teased to keep readers around. Everything is interesting and hooks the reader in for next month.
Ivan Reis and Joe Prado (who I met recently are insanely nice guys) deliver a beautiful issue. The switch from big action scenes to quite character driven moments with ease. The big double page spread of the Others making their team debut looks fantastic, and is frame worthy. And when I say frame worth, I mean I'm going to take the staples out of the book and frame those two pages. The character designs look fantastic, hitting an Invaders style of costumes. Prado's inks are great as well.
Aquaman #8 gets 4/5.
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| Marvel Coimcs |
Brubaker's long from story sometimes doesn't translate well into single issues. And this is the problem with #10. It doesn't seem like anything has ended. Cap had a problem and it was quickly fixed, but everything else is just eh. It's still entertaining, but doesn't feel as substantial as other Cap arcs. Powerless had a great idea, with the mad bombs attacking people and playing off the 99% thing going on. But it didn't delve enough into that. Brubaker has always incorporated current political climates well, so having one arc not hit well enough isn't as big of a complaint. Overall, this arc seems to have stalled to overall plot with Madame HYDRA. The end is good, but doesn't feel like the proper ending that this arc needed.
But where Brubaker's script falters, Alan Davis' art soars. He has always been the master craftsmen, and that continues. Every character is expressive, with insane Falcon being the best. It's clear in his eyes that he doesn't want to do this, but he can't control himself. That takes a lot of talent to get across to the reader. The action scenes convey the hectic nature that Brubaker is going for. Davis doesn't have a problem with the placement of characters in the scene too, which would be a problem for a lesser artist.
Captain America #10 gets 3.5/5 (I love this issue, but after a reread, Brubaker's lack of plot for the entire arc bothered me).
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| Marvel Comics |
Mark Waid finishes off the event in great fashion. The issue focuses on Daredevil trying to save Cole from being like Frank Castle. Murdock's speech is very emotional and it's clear Waid is very invested in what he is writing. Even though this event is very serious, Waid writes a few good one liners for Murdock. But then comes the ending. A lot of people are not going to like the ending. I'm one of them. But the Omega Effect has been a lot of fun, so it's not like it undermines everything that has come before this issue. But nothing happens. It just ends with nothing being resolved. Looking at the covers of the future issues, it seems like it will be resolved in Daredevil #13, but why not here? When we were promised this? Omega Effect is still one of the best Marvel events in a while, but it could have been THE best Marvel event in a while.
There is one thing that people won't have to argue about, and that is Marco Checchetto's fabulous artwork. His rendition of Daredevil's sonar sense rivals Paolo Rivera's. The huge battle scene looks great, and the characters, even in the background, are stunningly detailed. I miss Checchetto's Spider-Man. He's one of the few artist who embrace the skinny/lanky body structure that Spider-Man had when he was first starting out as a hero. Characters are very expressive even when they have masks on. It's been a great month, having three issues of Checchetto's work.
Daredevil #11 gets 4/5.
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| DC Comics |
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| Marvel Comics |
Brian Michael Bendis does a great job of closing out all the threads in this series. Some might be a little disappointed by the Nefaria vs Moon Knight finale, but it fits with the logical theme that this Moon Knight volume has been going for. In classic Bendis fashion, the book flips back and forth between tense and wit. The ending hints at more to come of the character, which will please fans. The ending also hints at the Age of Ultron, an event that has been hinted at as early as the middle of 2011. Sadly nothing else is given in the way information, just that it is coming. This current volume of Moon Knight has been easily the best in recent memory. I'll admit I haven't read every issue of Moon Knight, but Bendis had something special with this book. It's sad no one bought it. But, like most books that don't sell well, it will live on in trade paperbacks and hardcovers.
Alex Maleev's artwork was great on this book. He's cured his problem of his action scenes being stiff, and also using less photo tracing. Moon Knight is probably his best work since his and Bendis' run on Daredevil. After speaking with Maleev at Boston Con, Scarlet should be coming back in September, so we won't have to wait much longer to get another dose of his artwork.
Moon Knight #12 gets 4/5.
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| Marvel Comics |
Remender starts the tie in arc well. Remender explores the thought of potentially dying in the next few days well, having the team show every side of the die. By the looks of the team, it seems like Remender's main plot would have been left by the wayside, but not so fast. Beast gives Captain Britain a very harsh speech, which will have effects on the main plot. It's perfectly written, and looks to be a turning point for Captain Britain. Much as I suspected, this book looks like it's going to bring Carol Danvers into the Captain Marvel role. The way Remender brings this in is a little convoluted, as to WHY the Kree are suddenly bringing Marvel back is a little ambiguous. This needs a good amount of explanation in the coming issues. And we have the second fake out of War Machine's death in the same amount of months. If Rhody actually dies anytime soon, I'm not going to believe it.
Renato Guedes pencils this issue, and his style isn't fit well for a big cosmic story. Characters look ugly, and rather rushed. Whether that's his fault or Marvel gave him this assignment late isn't know. War Machine has a few derp faces once he enters anywhere but the foreground. Thor looks like he has the flu, as he is much thinner than in other books. Guedes wasn't a good choice for artist on this book. His pencils look great for demons and talking head panels, but not for space.
Secret Avengers #26 gets 3.5/5.
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| Marvel Comics |
Kieron Gillen takes a route in the same vein of Avengers vs X-Men: VS #1, and that most of the issue is people fighting. Gillen mostly adds inner monologues to fights we saw in Avengers vs X-Men #2, which isn't a bad thing. Gillen adds some great lines to characters, and this issue does exactly what a tie in should do: show us what the lesser characters are doing when the main characters are in the main book. Fans will be happy at some of Hope's thoughts, as they help clarify one of the more controversial scenes in Avengers vs X-Men #2. Most of the issue deals with Colossus and Red Hulk fighting. It's entertaining while also having some genius strategy. The ending too, is great strategy in war. Unit also makes an appearance, but otherwise, Gillen's overall plot is completely dropped.
Greg Land is back as penciler, and his pencils aren't as bad as they can be. It helps that women are mostly absent in this issue. Yeah, the women do revert to the normal "hip thrown to the side" look that all do. Hope's bust line constantly changes. The Colossus vs Red Hulk fight looked good, with Land giving it a brutal feel. Namor's smirk could give any reader a smile. While not Land's best work (Avenging Spider-Man #4), it's also not his worst.
Uncanny X-Men #11 gets 3.5/5.
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| Marvel Comics |
Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #684 gets 4.5/5.
Avengers #25 gets 4/5.
New Avengers #24 gets 3.5/5.
Uncanny X-Force #24 gets 5/5.
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