Saturday, June 16, 2012

Comic Reviews for 6/13

Hello.  I have nothing witty or important to say this week.  Just getting right into the reviews.

Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man #687:  "End of the Earths" has ended.

Dan Slott has done a damn good job over the past year of telling Spider-Man stories that haven't been told before.  "End of the Earths" was a tricky one, because it brought Peter out of his natural habitat.  And while the story was enjoyable, it didn't feel like a Spider-Man story.  Spidey has always been a street level hero, not a "save the entire world" hero.  "End of the Earths" ended up feeling like an Avengers story that happened to have Black Widow and Spider-Man in it.  "Spider-Island" worked so well because it was rooted in Spidey's past and involved a villain of his.  The Sinister Six haven't been exactly exclusive in who they fight recently.  Slott writes Spider-Man well, and the death is handled well enough.  But the rest doesn't feel like a Spider-Man story.  But Slott experimented with the character.  A lot of writers don't have the balls to go out there with the way Slott writes Spider-Man. With the Lizard coming back next issue, we will hopefully see more a Spider-Man story.

While some won't like the story, no one can argue that Stefano Caselli's artwork is great.  The action scenes look great, and the characters are expressive.  Caselli hit home the fact that Otto is now a monster and is nothing like he use to be.  The new Spider-Man uniform has displeased some, but I have enjoyed Caselli penciling it.  Part of me still wishes that this book would go down to once a month, which would let Slott and Caselli be the permanent team.  They work great together and Caselli is a perfect Spider-Man artist.

Amazing Spier-Man #687 gets 3.5/5.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Comic Reviews for 6/6

Well, it finally started.  Before Watchmen is upon us.  Avengers vs X-Men also continues, which is staring to have some problems.  The rest of the week was good, with a couple being slightly mediocre.  It was one of the bigger weeks, which sadly killed my wallet.  But enough bitching, let's get started.

DC Comics
Action Comics #10:  Time to go back to Clark Kent.

One of the best things about the New 52 is to tell stories writers couldn't before.  And adding in a new villain like Nimrod the Hunter is a good example of that.  He does seem a little similar to Kraven the Hunter, which just adds to my feeling that Grant Morrison is looking at Spider-Man as a way to modernize Superman.  Action Comics #10 is an interesting story, and an entertaining one at that, but it suffers in the plot development.  It's somewhat uneven.  Superman trying to help hamsters as a way of showing Superman can handle the small scale things?  Eh, not really.  The ending, with Kent being killed, works well, and puts the Superman mythos into an interesting situation.  Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson still haven't been developed to any likable degree.  They are just there in this book.

Rags Morales art, while better than it was, is still suffering a little big.  Character height varies, with Superman being taller than Wonder Woman, then suddenly shorter the next panel.  Faces seem stagnant from panel to panel, even if they are expressive.  Once Superman goes into action, the comic looks great.  The same for when the Daily Star is bombed near the end of the book.  The time has come for DC to start considering a different artist for Action Comics.  Morals hasn't been the worst artist, but it needs an artist who can be on time and consistent.

Action Comics #10 gets 3/5.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Comic Reviews for 5/30

Another small week.  Dear god I need these every once and a while.  Easier to see more movies :D.  It was a solid week overall, with many annuals coming out.  And a few of them are starting to realize what an annual is suppose to be.  But enough of me talking, let's get started.

Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39:  Spider-Man gets another annual, and it's a retread of old stories, yet still a sweet story.

Brian Reed has always had a great handle on Peter Parker.  He can write the dramatic with the humor and balance it well.  This annual is a good example of this.  Peter is erased form history and thinks life will be better without him.  What follows is the usual Peter finding out what it means to be Spider-Man and how much he means.  And yes, Uncle Ben appears.  Reed makes the story, one we have read countless times, seem fresh and interesting.  Everything is nicely tied up by the end of the story, which is what an annual should do.  It's a self contained story that old fans will love and new fans will will appreciate.  If this annual shows anything, it shows that Reed needs to have some input in the current Spider-Man titles.  Be it a back up or something.

Lee Garbett pencils a good Spider-Man book.  Most of the issue sees Peter outside of his costume, which works in Garbett's favor.  Characters are expressive, with the reader being able to see the confusion on ever character's face.  The classic panels look fantastic.  His artwork has a slight look like Oliver Copiel.  Garbett has a great future ahead of him at Marvel.

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39 gets 3.5/5.