DC Comics
Action Comics #8: Even with a couple of months off, Rags Morales' art is still bad.
Grant Morrison has really shifted up the origin of Superman. It's a story that could only happen with the new DC. #8 is the end of this opening arc, and Morrison ends it in a great way. The Fortress of Solitude is reimagined in a great way, coming out of nowhere, but makes sense by the end of the story. Clark Kent gets more time in this issue, and I still hold onto the fact that Morrison is channeling Peter Parker when writing Kent. That's well and fine, and it's a good way to bring Sups back to the present time. The issue is one big fight, but Morrison gives the fight weight with the insane babbling of Braniac. Even with Braniac and the enslaved human from a few issues ago using the same speech bubbles, the dialogue is easily distinguishable from each other. The new Fortress of Solitude is brought in a smart way. The end of this arc proves that Superman can be brought back into the present without sacrificing who he is. It's been one of the problems with him, and it's one of the prime examples the new DC was a great choice story wise.
While I have nothing but praise for the writing, the art is bad. Rags Morales is helped out by three other artists, and the affect is quite jarring. It's clear where Morales art ends and others begin. Brad Walker, Rick Bryant, and Bob McLeod do a commendable job, but going from artist to artist from page to page leaves the book having an inconsistent feel. Not only that, the final few pages are inked and colored in a different feel, which faked me out. I thought we had already got to the epilogue, but nope.
Action Comics #8 gets 3/5.
DC Comics
Animal Man #8: The Baker family RV trip continues and things start to get tragic.
Jeff Lemire continues to fool around well with the Red. Much in the way Scott Snyder is with the Green. There are two big tragedies in this issue, and I'll try to keep from spoiling them. And while one is a fake out and one is genuine, both have the emotional pull they desire. My jaw dropped twice. Lemire has given the family aspect some great time, which gives these scenes a lot of weight. I wonder how long it's going to be until Buddy bumps into Alec Holland, with Swamp Thing seemingly getting close to the end of it's epic adventure. There is a lot more fighting in this issue, and Lemire brings back thought bubbles. I missed them, as it was interesting to hear what animals Buddy was using for powers. While I'm sure the ending is a fake out, it none the less leaves the reader with a sense of despair. Not only that, it leaves the reader thinking about family and what is going to happen to the rest of the Baker's. Since family has been such a big part of this book, it's good to see Lemire having the reader thinking this when situations arise.
Steve Pugh pencils the majority of this issue. While he isn't Travel Foreman, his pencils suit the book well. His pencils are creepy and he pencils the tragic scenes well. With Foreman barely penciling this issue, the character model problem from last month doesn't crop up this time around. As a fill in for Foreman while he is on Birds of Prey, he works well. The tone of the book is still there, being creepy as all hell when needed. Buddy and Ellen are clearly in love when Buddy runs out to kill the Rot beasts.
Animal Man #8 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Avengers Academy #28: Christos Gage brings the Academy fight with the Runaways to a close, with the story ending really well.
Christos Gage has always been one to bring conflicting characters together well. The Runaways in this story deals with kids having bad parents and underestimating teenagers. Gage handles it well enough without ever going into to preachy territory. It's sad that we won't be seeing anything of the Runaways any time soon. After recently catching up with this book, I see that this book has been one big redemption for Hank Pym. And this issue works well on that front, showing that Pym can be a good father and fit into a good husband role. Gage did a great job with the Academy while Fear Itself was taking over Marvel, so no doubt he will deliver a great tie in issue when Avengers vs X-Men comes into the book next month. While I'm going to miss the Runaways, I'm glad that Gage will only have to focus on the Academy next month. Some of the new characters are lost in the shuffle. It's a small gripe, but doesn't bring the issue down much.
Karl Moline's art is the only week point this month. Many of the characters have a changing body, with the girls breast size changing from panel to panel. The action looks well though, and characters are still detailed when there are a lot of characters in the panel.
Avengers Academy #28 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Avengers vs X-Men #1: I got the book a week early, and posted the review here
Image Comics
Chew #25: The end of Major League Chew. While it ends well enough, it could have been a little better.
John Layman wraps up the issue well. Everything is set up well to connect with Chew #27, which came out last year. But it feels a little forced to fit into that continuity. The trademarked humor of Chew is sadly absent, with this issue focusing more on plot. I think the problem is that in the beginning of this arc, Layman focused to much on WHY Dan kidnapped Tony, and Tony's former partners, that the arc has an inconsistent feel. It's a balancing problem that hopefully won't bog down the next arc. What Layman did with Tony in this arc was hysterical and very interesting. Layman has never ceases to amaze me when it comes to using Tony's powers in new ways. The next arc seems to focus more on Tony's sister, so we will see how the balancing problem goes. One thing that I have loved about this series is that the powers Layman thinks up are hard to forget. But I'll admit that I forgot Amelia had powers of her own. But Layman does his patented explanation page without ruining the momentum, so all is fine.
Rob Guillory's art seems more tame this month. Besides the opening few pages, everything is tame. There are the normal jokes in the background, which made me laugh more than the script this month. But Poyo looks badass at the end of the issue, so who cares if the issue isn't as out there as the rest of the series. The art is still strong and fits the kooky world that Layman has thought up.
Chew #25 gets 3.5/5.
Marvel Comics
Daredevil #10.1: Now THIS is a .1 issue.
Mark Waid weaves this issue in with the overall narrative he has been telling in his perfect book. Waid gives the reader a perfect characterization of Matt Murdock while understanding what's going on when the Omega Effect takes over next month. By the end of the issue, I'd say this would work better as Daredevil #11 instead of a point one issue. It really helps along the plot of the Omega Effect, with the ending being almost crucial to the plot line. As with every Daredevil issue, it has plenty of wit and has Murdock in a positive outlook. The best part of this .1 issue is that Waid makes the history of Daredevil weave into the story without it ruining the momentum. Many of these .1 issues seem like they are talking specifically to new readers and leaving old readers behind. But Waid doesn't do that. More Marvel writers need to read this issue so they know how to write their own .1 issues.
Khoi Pham pencils this issue, and he tries to fit the style of Paulo River and Marcos Martin. It works well enough, but radar sense doesn't look as good as the regular artists. Pham's pencils seem more scratchy this time around, which is fine on it's own, but doesn't fit well with the crisp look of the main book. Some of the pages look a little rushed, but it's not that big of a deal.
Daredevil #10.1 gets 4/5.
Marvel Comics
Hulk #50: Jeff Parker continues his great Hulk epic with this anniversary issue.
Thankfully Parker doesn't make this the end of a big arc, instead starting creepy new one. I recently caught up on this series, but it's still good that Parker weaves the history of his run without sacrificing story. Even the Abomination, who died all the way back in Hulk #1 makes an appearance. I have tried to forget Jeph Loeb's Hulk run, but Parker references it without bringing up bad memories. In other books, Thunderbolt Ross hasn't been the most witty of characters, but there is quite a few here. I also like how Parker ties this book into Matt Fraction's Defenders book. The story that Parker creates here is very creepy and not the usual Hulk story. While Incredible Hulk has been weak since it's relaunch, this book has been very strong. Safe to say that Hulk will be in the my pull list for some time, especially with the upcoming Mayan arc.
Carlo Pagulayan's art has never rubbed me the right way. His Hulk work has just been meh, but his cover artwork has worked well. But his artwork is great here. The action looks great, and the zombies look very creepy. But we can still recognize characters, even in zombie state. The women can be borderline cheesecake, but it's not as bad as some artists. My opinion of Pagulayan's art is steadily going up since reading this issue.
Hulk #50 gets 5/5.
Marvel Comics
New Mutants #40: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning end their arc well, but it gets a little annoying.
DnA write Douglock well in this issue, as they take up the entire issue. What bothered me in this issue was Warlock. He's a great character, but his computer talk can get a little annoying when he is the only one talking. It doesn't help when Doug talks like a borderline computer. The arc gives Doug a sense of closure on the Ani-Monitor problem though, and leaves him in a better place. The entire issue is a fight though, so Doug's and Warlock's dialogue can almost be skipped. When I started reading this book a few months ago, I like the balance of all the team members while still focusing on Doug. That's sadly absent here. Hopefully in the next arc, DnA can find the balance of team members and quiet character moments.
Leandro Fernandez's art is good. The lack of backgrounds in most of the book doesn't annoy me as much as it does in other books. This is when they are in Doug's mind though. When the fight starts to happen, the lack of backgrounds starts to hurt. It's hard to tell where characters are in relation to each other. His art could be worse, but it also could be a hell of a lot better.
New Mutants #40 gets 3/5.
DC Comics
Swamp Thing #8: Holy. Shit.
Scott Snyder has done a simply amazing job with this book. The mythos has been reimagined in a way that has brought a new life to the character. The issue feels very epic, with the reader enthralled by the big battle scene. Snyder's script get your blood pumping and excited, as if you are watching a great action film. The ending made me shout NO, as it's heartbreaking, even though we know it's a fake out. It's a testament to Snyder's amazing characterization and making us care for Alec Holland and Abigail. Snyder can now put on his resume that he is writing the two best books that DC is putting out right now (Batman being the other). Snyder's trademark, of relating the story you are reading to something else, is used here. I'm not sure if it was needed, but it still works.
Then there is Yanic Paquette. Just....wow. Yep, that's the only way I can describe his art. His intricate layouts are still there, and they are toned a little this month. This works in favor of the art, as it gives his awesome new design of Swamp Thing more room to be a complete badass. Some will call it over the top, but I just call it great. As always, his pencils re hyper detailed, leaving the reader stunned at the pages in front of them. Even if you aren't a big fan of Swamp Thing, you really should be reading this for Paquette's art. Well, also because of Snyder's writing, but still.
Swamp Thing #8 gets 5/5.
Marvel Comics
Venom #15: It seems routine now for Rick Remender to have a quiet issue in between arcs.
This time around, Remender deals with the aftermath of Flash breaking up with Betty at the beginning of Circle of Four. Remender does a great job with throwing Flash down the gutter while also keeping her in the book. It's clear that Flash isn't enjoying his life as much as he thought he would be. It's a good comparison to how Flash use to be Spider-Man's number one fan, and now that he is basically Spider-Man, he wish he didn't have his life. I hope that Remender will be delving more into this in the future. While Flash will probably never know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man (again), hopefully Venom and Spider-Man can have a heart to heart. I like the tiny hint of Valkyrie's attraction towards Flash. Not sure why, but I'd like to see something with that happen soon. Eddie Brock is back in the book and looks to be the new villain as well. Remender is a great writer and will use this to a great effect.
While I miss Tony Moore's pencils on this book, Lan Medina's art has suited the book perfectly. His pencils were great on Fables, but they are suited more for a superhero book. Even more for a Spider-Man family book. You can see the despair in Flash's mom's face as she destroys his morale. The same with Betty at the end of the issue. Eddie looks downright demonic when he is attacking Scream. The big fight between Eddie and Flash is going to be a great one when the time comes.
Venom #15 gets 5/5.
Much like the story, Chris Bachalo's pencils are very hectic. This is his style, so it's not a big complaint, but things get hard to understand when the students are on the casino planet. Otherwise, everything is stunning. The fight between Sabertooth and Beast in space plays out as awesome as it sounds. Genesis using his powers looks awesome and inspires the reader with a sense of awe and fear. His art is going to be great on Avengers vs X-Men.
Wolverine & the X-Men #8 gets 4/5.
Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #682 gets 5/5.
FF #16 gets 3.5/5.
Uncanny X-Force #23 gets 3/5.
While I miss Tony Moore's pencils on this book, Lan Medina's art has suited the book perfectly. His pencils were great on Fables, but they are suited more for a superhero book. Even more for a Spider-Man family book. You can see the despair in Flash's mom's face as she destroys his morale. The same with Betty at the end of the issue. Eddie looks downright demonic when he is attacking Scream. The big fight between Eddie and Flash is going to be a great one when the time comes.
Venom #15 gets 5/5.
Marvel Comics
Wolverine & the X-Men #8: Jason Aaron has a good one and done that leads into Avengers vs X-Men.
#8 deals with most of the lose ends from the previous arc. Aaron's idea to have Logan in the wheelchair was a really funny one. The issue is sadly a little hectic. To much goes on for it's own good. Between the students going to get Logan's legs back, Beast saving Agent Brand from Sabertooth, and Logan's problems back home, there is to much going on. It's all very enjoyable, and filled with the great wit and character development that this series has been known for, but I wish that it slowed down. With the series being an integral part of Avengers vs X-Men, it would have been nice for some quiet time. Genesis, or Evan, gets the biggest character moment, and I look forward to see his role in the big crossover next issue. Sabertooth's return is proving to be a great choice. I'm usually very hesitant when it comes to rebirths, but so far this has been nothing but good. No doubt that Jeph Loeb will screw it up somehow, although I hope he doesn't.
Wolverine & the X-Men #8 gets 4/5.
Old Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #682 gets 5/5.
FF #16 gets 3.5/5.
Uncanny X-Force #23 gets 3/5.
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