Reviews of Fear Itself #1, Herc #1, and more

Hello everyone!  It's been a long time since I wrote a batch of reviews.  My apologies for not keeping you up to date, and I hope my Twitter has helped.  Well let's get started.

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38:  My first note before reviewing is how surprised I am that the Amazing Spider-Man Annuals keep their numbering.  A lot of the Annuals I buy/see have small numbers.  Doesn't really matter, just a something I noticed.

Spider-Man, Hulk, and Deadpool are all at Horizons Lab for different reasons.  When they all appear in the alternate universe, everything seems like a perfect version of the Marvel 616 universe.  Spider-Man is the Amazing Spider, and Deadpool is Dead Wish.  Uncle Ben is still alive and so is Gwen Stacy.  The Amazing Spider was hurt in the blast that brought the three heroes to this new universe and needs to heal.  So Peter offers to help, but once he starts digging into the mysteries of the Amazing Spider, something doesn't feel right.

This Annual starts the second round of Annuals that are connected with one story.  We saw this start recently in Uncanny X-Men Annual #3.  The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38 is crossing over with Deadpool Annual #1 and The Incredible Hulks Annual #1.  What I'm pleased to say is the Annual starts off the story nicely.  While the meeting is a tad forced, the repercussions work very well.  A lot of times in alternate universe tales, the new universe likes to take the road less traveled, but this never seem like it could happen.  This Annual is one of the first times where it seems like all these things could have come true.  Would Uncle Ben have been become power hungry from Peter having powers?  Would Aunt May not have loved Peter as much?  Much like House of M, this story looks to leave Peter quite beaten emotionally by the end of it.  Kudos to John Layman for doing a good job on constructing this universe.

Lee Garbett's art is also quite nice to look at.  It's very expressive and detailed.  The Amazing Spider costume looks cool, even if a bit cheesy.  Surprised the mast wasn't altered more. I'm not familiar with his work, but I look forward to future issue penciled by him.  Does anyone know if he is penciling the rest of the Annuals tied into this story?

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #38 gets 4/5

Avengers: The Children's Crusade #5:  10 months in, and the Scarlet Witch is back.  Yeah, I'm starting the review by spoiling the ending. Sorry.

The fight in Latveria keeps going as Iron Lad comes in to save the butts of his fellow Young Avengers.  His real purpose is to bring the rest of the group in the past so the Scarlet Witch's memory can maybe be jogged.  While in the past, Cassie Lang bumps into her father, Scott Lang (the second Ant-Man).  Jack of Hearts appears though, about to blow up the mansion (under the Scarlet Witch of past's power).  They all appear in the present again, and the big reveal is........revealed.

While that seems like a short synopsis of what happened, it's because not a lot happens.  It's mostly dialogue, but that doesn't stop it from being a great issue.  Some of the personal stories, especially Cassie's, gets some major developments.  Iron Lad looks to be around for a while, and Vision isn't especially happy with that.  This takes up less than a page, but Alan Heinberg writes it so well that it's the perfect amount.  The showdown between Doom and Magneto was another awesome sight.  This is all helped by Jim Cheung and his amazing pencils.

As stated before, not a lot happens.  It's a slight complaint, but with the book only coming out every other month (and this one seemed delayed to me. Correct me if I'm wrong), I was hoping for a little more plot development.  It is still worth your hard earned money though.

It's hard to believe it's been 10 months since issue #1 came out.  And we still have another 8 months to go.

Avengers: The Children's Cursade #5 gets 4/5

Brightest Day #23:  Brightest Day has been on a good streak of late, delivering mostly good issues.  With #23 being the second to last issue, the plot comes full steam ahead for the first time and a lot of questions are answered.

With all the major players in the Star City forest, the White Lantern's plan is all coming together.  The Dark Avatar has shown his face.  Our previously thought dead heroes are alive and well, and are ready to fight the enemy.  Almost everyone has done their duty, except for Captain Boomerang.  At the end, Earth's real champion is revealed.

The big reveal, while very cool, seems way out of left field to me.  I know the character has a lot of history (none of which I have read), but this role seems odd.  But I shall read #24 to see how it all plays out.  Captain Boomerang hasn't had a lot to do in Brightest Day, and his sudden appearance kind of seems like "Shit, we forgot about him."  He had a very small amount to do in The Flash ongoing and he has still only acted like a plot device in that book.  No doubt his "role" will be shown in #24 and have ramifications on Boston Brand and Dove.

The art on this issue is one of the better.  It's hard to tell where one artist ends and one begins, unless you stop and really look.  The massive landscape view reveal looks awesome.  He seems more menacing than Nekron every did in Blackest Night.

Brightest Day #23 gets 4/5.

Fear Itself #1:  The big event of the year is finally upon us.  Is the first issue worth the hype?  After reading this issue a couple of times, I have to say yes.

Even the Marvel Universe is feeling the ramifications of the recession.  It's citizens are having trouble getting by, and it has nothing to do with super villains.  The new Red Skull, Sin (the daughter of the original Red Skull), has awoken the Serpent, an ancient Norse God who the Asgardians see as a villain.  He has chosen the Red Skull as one of his Worthy and sent out the hammers to call the rest of the Worthy.  Odin realizes this and orders everyone back to Asgard on their plane of existence.  Thor naturally doesn't want to go.  Odin forces him to go back, leaving the heroes to fend for themselves.

What astounded me first was how great the writing was.  Usually in big events in comics, the first issue is more used for catching people up and explaining the characters.  This issue is just for the event itself.  There isn't any dialogue that seems out of character.  The scope is set very big and it's going to be hard for this event to not have an affect on any character.  This paragraph could have been summed up I guess.  Summed up into, "Matt Fraction, that's a good fucking issue."

Stuart Immonen keeps up with his amazing penciling.  All the faces are expressive the action feels kinetic.  The panels flow like a dream.  His art is helped out by the amazing colors of Laura Martin.  Just look at the rainbow bridge leading towards Asgard to see what I mean.

Some will have a problem with continuity, as this takes place before the first arc of The Mighty Thor.  Just a heads up for you continuity types.

Fear Itself #1 gets 5/5

Herc #1:  I was one of the stupid people who didn't read The Incredible Hercules.  Thankfully I did get into the series through trades, and I'm glad to say that Herc #1 continues the high level of writing that the former series was so celebrated for.

Hercules isn't a god anymore.  He is living in Brooklyn and trying to help people as much as he can.  He runs into a Greek family who is being squeezed on by the Kingpin, and helps.  The family takes him in and Herc is the new bartender (oh god the hilarious stuff to come from that).  All the while, someone is praying to Hercules, although he can't find them.  He does find an offering of beer ("Best. Offering. Ever" as he puts it).  But his brush with the Kingpin people doesn't go unnoticed.  The Hobgoblin finds him and is ready to fight.

The trademark wit is still as funny as ever.  Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente have found a way to humanize Herc without loosing his sense of humor.  Or his ability to bed women so fast.  While Amadeus Cho is missing, Pak and Van Lente have added a few side characters.  The shop owner and his two daughters (I think they are both daughters, only one for sure) seem like a good supporting cast.  They help humanize him and keep him grounded.  And plenty of love triangle soap opera.

Neil Edwards art looks really good.  There are a few problems of panel flow, but overall, he does a great job.  The action looks really good as well.  One problem I noticed was that Hercules is described as 7 feet tall, but he is the same height as the officers around him.

The overall point of a #1 book is to give new readers a feel of the character and establish enough plot threads for readers to come back each month.  Herc #1 does this, and quite well I might add.

Herc #1 gets 4/5

Heroes for Hire #5:  Heroes for Hire has been one of the shining books in my pull list each month.  While this month's books isn't as good as the past four issues, it's still an above par book.

Most of the book details Misty and her attempted escape of the Puppet Master and his puppet the Punisher.  Paladin and Iron Fist wait outside to help Misty, but get attacked by Black Widow, Moon Knight, and the Falcon.  With the ear pieces in their ear, Puppet Master was able to map their brainwaves and take control of them easier.  We also learn some personal information about Paladin.

While the story moves along at a nice pace, there are a couple of hiccups.  The way that Misty gets free of her bad encounter with the Punisher seems somewhat like lazy writing to me.  Yeah, it's logical, but just doesn't work in the situation of this comic.  DnA are too good at writing comics to have a plot twist like that.  But they have been consistently good throughout their careers, so it's fine for one comic to slip by.

What the book is really missing is the penciling by Bradley Walker.  Robert Atkins pencils are comparable, but no where near as detailed as Walker's.  Atkins seems to style his after Walker's, and it results in some weird panels.  Look at Iron Fist's head when Misty is laying in bed.  It's a very odd shape.

Heroes for Hire #5 gets 3.5/5

Uncanny X-Force #6:  Rick Remender has done to the X-line what Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men did, and that is revitalize a franchise that desperately needed it.  The X-line was doing ok, but it needed this book to be awesome.

The rest of X-Force joins Fantomex, who is being attacked by Dethloks.  One of the Dethloks saves the Fantomex, and fills the rest of the team in on why and why he is here.  The group catches the Captain America Dethlok and pries out the reason they are being attacked.  It seems the future is a Utopia since all the heroes have become automated.  The Dethloks have traveled back in time to secure this future.

#6 is by far the best written of the series.  Remender discusses a lot of heavy topics about superheroes and their need to exist.  Betsy also has a nice conversation with Captain Britain while trying to get over her guilt about seeing Fantomex killing Apocalypse.  It's clear that the situation is putting a wall between her and Angel, and you can see the threads for upcoming arcs being made.  I thought I would never say this, but a writer has found a way to make Deadpool a serious person.  He has become very serious in this book since the Apocalypse killing, and it's nice to see a new side to the regenerating degenerate.

Esad Ribic penciled a beautiful book last month, but this month is lacking a little.  Some of the character blend together to much, as if a little more inking was needed.  Forgetting that, his characters are hyper expressive, and seem lifelike.  The big fight scene between Deathlok Spider-Man and Fantomex looks great and has some great fluidity to it.

Uncanny X-Force gets 5/5

 Uncanny X-Men #534.1:  The big Point One initiative has mostly been a hit, with a few misses.  This Point One book is a hit, but for different reasons.

The book resolves around Magneto talking to the new PR rep for the X-Men and her trying to reform the former villain.  Most of this revolves around trudging up old history for him.  While all this is going on, some A.I.M posers are threatening an earthquake on San Francisco.  The X-Men go to help the situation.

Kieron Gillen shows very fast that he knows the X-Men.  They seem like a team and everyone has their own personality.  Many complained about this during Matt Fraction's run on Uncanny.  What surprised me most about this issue was how it more acted like an introduction for Magneto instead of the X-Men.  That's not a bad thing, but the title of the book indicates it was about the X-Men.  The story with them is a good one and done issue, showing the team working well together.  Magneto ultimately solves the situation on his own when he hears what is going on

Carlos Pacheo pencils his usual great book.  Most of the book is talking heads, but it's still beautiful to look at.  Oh, and Pacheo?  I think Emma Frost has a bit of a camel toe issue on one page.

Uncanny X-Men #534.1 gets 4/5.

Ultimate Comics Captain America #4:  Why oh why wasn't this book a permanent ongoing?

Cap is stuck in a prison cell by Frank Simpson.  After Simpson tells him to ask his God for a miracle, a snake appears in the cell with Cap.  Biting his venom sack out, Cap spits in Simpson's eyes and finds his edge in a fight with him.  While fighting the two argue about ideologies.

The issue really hits home about America vs anyone else ideologies a lot of people have.  It's kind of refreshing to have the anyone else ideology thrown on it's head, and Jason Aaron never makes it feel preachy.  The end conversion that Cap has with Hawkeye just adds something to think about after reading this issue.  Hopefully Aaron will continue to write Ultimate Cap.

Ron Garney delivers his usual great issue.  There are some minor complaints about detailing, but these aren't enough to lower the rating.  The big fight scene looks awesome, and especially the ending with a certain body part being punched out.

Ultimate Comics Captain America #4 gets 5/5

That's it for the week boys and girls.  Look for my column to post tomorrow or Friday.  I talk about how much the comic industry coddles fans of the movies.

New column for 3/31

Here is the link to my new column.  With the Wonder Woman series starting to film, is it doomed before it starts?  My thoughts plus this weeks highlights and more: http://www.thesuffolkvoice.net/opinion/nbc-s-wonder-woman-already-facing-imminent-doom-1.2134861

New Column

I wrote an article for this week, but it hasn't gone up for some reason, so here it is.  Enjoy.

Are Comic Book Movies Burning Out?

While many fans of blockbuster films will disagree with me, I am scared to say that this might be the truth.  While comic book movies have been very good of recent years, it may come to a point when they ALL suck.

For the time being though, I think they will continue to do well.  This summer has “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Green Lantern,” and “X-Men: First Class.”  Yeah, that’s a lot.  But this doesn’t have me worried.  What does is “The Avengers.”  It will be the mother of all comic book movies.  The epic movie made by fanboy god Joss Whedon will most likely set the bar for what comic book movies will have to achieve after it comes out.  Christopher Nolan’s Batman series isn’t included, as it started before and has already had it’s production started.  

But how is “The Avengers” going to burn us out?  Well look at the cast.  It’s made up of mostly A-listers and a few Oscar nominees, and by a Marvel fanboy (Joss).  Yes, it could end up being terrible, but the Joss fan in me doesn’t think that will happen.  Seeing all these iconic characters on the screen will just be the top of the mountain in terms of comic movies.  Much like “The Dark Knight” showed everyone that comic book movies could be artistic, this will show comic book movies could be epic like “Lord of the Rings.”    

After a summer like this, and then having the next summer still loaded with comic movies (“The Amazing Spider-Man” is set for 2012 as well), it’s just going to tire us out.  We won’t want to stand them anymore unless they are Oscar level like “The Dark Knight.”  Yes, this could be completely wrong and something like the Daredevil reboot could be amazing, but this is my worry as a comic fan.  

Movie Time

Kevin Costner is going to be playing Pa Kent in the Superman reboot.

It has been confirmed that the main villain in “The Amazing-Spider Man” will be the Lizard.

Trade/Series for Newcomers

This was a no brainer.  I finally picked up the first trade paperback for “Morning Glories,” the Image series taking the industry by storm.  Think “LOST,” but set in high school.  It’s written by recent Marvel exclusive writer Nick Spencer.  Six kids are sent to a boarding school and the mysteries around the school keep getting better and better.  

Here is the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Morning-Glories-TP-Nick-Spencer/dp/1607063077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300853079&sr=8-1

Highlights for 3/23

DC

-Batman Inc. #4- Two issues in one month?  Thank Galactus for this.  Batman continues his adventure in Argentina.

-Green Lantern #64- The “War of the Green Lanterns” starts with this issue.  Judging from the teasers, it sounds like only three will wear Green Lantern rings by the done of this event.

IDW

-Angel #43- It’s the second to last Angel issue before our favorite fluffy puppy vampire heads over to Dark Horse to join the Buffyverse.

Image

-Marineman #4- I will continue to be a big supporter of this indie book.  It’s bright, it’s fun, and it’s a great read.

Marvel

-F.F. #1- The new direction for the first family of the Marvel family is starting here.  Spider-Man is joining the book and it looks like the book will have the group facing bigger threats.

-Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #156- Mark Bagley is coming back to USM.  I have been pumped about this for months.  The original penciler will draw what looks to be maybe Spider-Man’s last story in the Ultimate Universe.

-Uncanny X-Force #6- This book is the shot in the arm the X-centric corner of the Marvel Universe needed.  This issue sees Fantomx fighting more Deathloks

Trade Nation

I was recently talking to a few friends about comics.  These friends are fair weather fans of comics (and they admit it).  They will read something like "The Walking Dead" because they loved the series, or an issue of Batman or two because they want to read more about the Joker.  But these people all said they never go for single issues....they always go for the trade paperback.

This has been an issue of recent years, where many blame writers for writing for trades.  Big six issue arcs that drag on can be seen like this, but comics is still a an issue by issue medium.  Trades serve the purpose of catching up and being able to read something you love that isn't available anymore.  Here is my example:

I got into "The Immortal Iron Fist" when the "Immortal Weapons" mini-series was released.  I was stunned at the series and how amazing the writing and art was.  But the series was over and it was almost impossible to find any back issues of the series.  Just like me, people realized how amazing it was and bought them up.  But the trades alleviated this.  Trades were also helpful for "Nova" and "Morning Glories."  More often than not, trades help understand continuity deeper.  When I got into comics, I had to make a lot of trips to local comic shops to stop by and read the trades to understand what characters were talking about.

But the real question is the trade industry ultimately hurting the publishers?  If we are looking at this from a numbers standpoint, why yes it is.  Using a six issue arc for example, if a customer buys all six issue right when it comes out, that person pays about $17.94 for a $2.99 book and $23.94 for a $3.99 book.  Browsing through some trades at a local comic shop, the majority cost $12.99-$14.99.  While a couple of dollars doesn't seem like much, it starts to add up when something sells a lot.  Hopefully those people will be like me, where if I buy a trade and love the series, I will continue to buy the issues.

So do trade paperbacks hurt the industry?  Yes and no.  They are a gamble that works with the right people, and not with others.  But they will always be there for better or worse.

Reviews for ASM #653, Flash #9, Heroes for Hire #3 and more

Hello all.  It was the first week back with my column, and I posted the link on the main page.  I hope you all read.  Quick note, after looking at the list of guests attending Boston Comic Con at the end of April, I am seriously pumped.  Amazing list that includes Frank Quietly, and Frank Cho to name a couple.  This weeks column will have to do with stretching characters out to thin, such as Spider-Man and Wolverine.  My apologies for not getting to as many blog posts recently.  I try to find ideas that I can write about thoroughly and not just quick opinion blurbs.  And all the best stuff comes up when I'm about to write a new column, which takes precedent over this blog.  It's my last semester writing the column, so I'm trying to give it my all and make it worth your while.  I'll try my best to keep up though.  Now onto the reviews, which there are a lot this week

Amazing Spider-Man #653:  Long time readers know I love Dan Slott and his writing, so my praise of his writing will keep coming in this review.  The guy knows Spider-Man.  I can't think of any other way to put it.  His writing has a very classic way about it, from the way Smythe talks to the way he goes through with his plans.  That doesn't mean to say Smythe is being unoriginal, as Slott has villains learning Spideys tricks and putting him into situations that he shouldn't survive.  One thing I wished that Slott had capitalized on was Spider-Man's quick interaction with Ms. Marvel.  The two were kind of an item for a few months there, and it would have been nice to see what she said about Peter having a girlfriend (if she knows).  The Scorpion has moved up in the rogue gallery as a major threat to Spider-Man.

Stefano Caselli was one of the best choices for Spider-Man.  His art is flowing, and just looks plain beautiful.  It's great to look at, and his story telling abilities are astounding.  His faces are so expressive I sometimes didn't have to read the words to understand what the characters where trying to convey.  As much as I can't wait to see Marcos Martin return to the title, I will be sad to see Caselli go.

With Ock making another appearance, I wonder what he is up to now.  He is making an appearance in Invincible Iron Man #502, so it will be interesting to see how that ties into ASM in the long run.

Amazing Spider-Man #653 gets 4/5

Carnage #3:  Marvel seems to want to bring back the 90's.  Thunderstrike has a mini-series, last year there was the Clone Saga mini.  And now Carnage.  For the most part, the title has been good, but the art has been making this book lag when the dialogue is some of the best out there right now.

Carnage has bonded to Shriek's psychiatrist and turned into a female Carnage.  Most of the plot is Spider-Man and Iron Man following Carnage while she goes to an unnamed location.  The issue also focuses on Tanis Nieves and her history.  It's interesting for a bit, especially when Carnage starts to mess with her and having her try and focus.  What is high point is Spider-Man actually getting mad.  It sounds weird, but we don't see it enough in Amazing.  Zeb Wells has a knack of writing an emotional Spider-Man and not having any of it feel forced or a plot device.

Now the art......god the art. Clayton Crain and his computer generated art can sometimes be good in a book.  I remember a few issues of X-Force that looked great.  But this....this is just crap.  I really don't like using words like that to describe an artist, as I can't draw for shit myself.  But the art just doesn't look good.  The book has a fog over it that makes everything so muddled I can't see what is happening.  It just irks me because the writing is so good and to have that great dialogue coated in a thick fog just bothers me.  Crain does a great symbiote, but nothing else.

Carnage #3 gets 3.5/5

Deadpool #32:  Everyone is still complaining about how Deadpool is in a ton of books, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be reading the title that started it all.  Daniel Way keeps writing hilarious after hilarious issue that has been making more use of his humor instead of the dialogue boxes.

This one and done issue has Deadpool fighting the supposedly most fearsome merc in the galaxy, named Macho Gomez.  As the name implies, he is stereotypically Mexican and a bad ass.  Deadpool makes quick work of him, but this changes his ambition in life.  Instead of being a hero, he wants to be the most fearsome merc in the galaxy.

I was a fan of Way's trip of taking Deadpool through the ringer to try and become a hero.  It was a natural progression for the merc with a mouth, but it has been wearing thin a little bit.  I'm glad to see Deadpool going back to his old ways though.  Way has always been a big user of the inner dialogue boxes, and they have been funny.  But sometimes Deadpool just needs to be funny on his own.  The boxes make an appearance, but Way sticks to Deadpool doing all the talking this issue.  It's refreshing to see and I hope Way keeps up with it in the future.

The best surprise of this issue was Sheldon Vella on art.  HOLY SHIT does his art suit this book.  It's quirky, cartoony, and over all perfect for the absurd feel of the book.  His characters are hyper expressive and the action scenes look stunning.  Can someone tell me if he is staying on the book for a while?

Deadpool #32 gets 5/5

The Flash #9: With the big Flash centric event coming this summer, it's time for a prelude.  This issue leaves a lot of questions to be answered, but I'm going to enjoy every second of the ride.

After a couple of issues with out the star of the book, Barry Allen is back to what he does best......solving murders.  It's kind of funny that this issue is so slow for a book that's title is "Flash."  I didn't notice this until IGN pointed it out, but when Barry Allen is finger printing the dead man, the fingers switch.  Now this may be a small goof by Francis Manapul, or it could be the Prof. Zoom messing with history like we saw in issue #8.  I'm going to give Manapul the benefit of the doubt, as he is a great artist.  Barry also skips hanging out with the rest of his Flash family to solve the case, much to the chagrin of his wife.  Part of me wants to say that this will have ramifications in the Flashpoint book, but that might be me being fanboy and looking to closely into things when nothing is there at all.  The last page reveal is interesting, but for some reason didn't hit me as hard as I thought it was going too.  Maybe I'm a jaded comic book reviewer.  Who knows, but the reveal still leaves me interested for the road ahead.

Manapul makes his return after taking a few months off.  His art is as good as it has ever been, and I hope he doesn't need a break for a while.

The Flash #9 gets 5/5

Heroes for Hire #3:  Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (DnA) have been some of the best writers at Marvel for a while, but don't ever seem to get the recognition that really deserve. They have done an amazing job with Marvel cosmos for the longest time, but none of the books ever sold that much.  Well I hope Heroes for Hire will finally alleviate that, and it looks to be.

This issue starts off with Paladin trying to figure out what is happening to Misty Knight.  While the reader knows that she is under the control of the Puppet Master, none of our heroes do.  It's interesting to see Paladin in a somewhat hero role as he has been perceived as a villain for the longest time.  And it was only a matter of time before Iron Fist came into the book.  Luke has been getting plenty of time at New Avengers, but our favorite kung fu master has sadly been left a little short.  Hopefully he will play a  bigger role in the coming months.  Moon Knight is the main hero for hire in this issue.  After finding some seedy men kidnapping Savage Land girls, he attempts to stop them.  Only to be attacked by a raptor.  I shit you not.  Moon Knight fight  a raptor.  And it looks amazing.  Walker's art looks it's best this month and that is saying something after the first two issues that he pulled off.

Fact is, if you aren't reading this book, there is something wrong with you, and you need to be

Heroes for Hire #3 gets 5/5

New Avengers #8:  Many have complained that this book hasn't been able to find it's voice after the massive reboot that took place in May and June.  I'm not sure where people are getting that.  This is the street level Avengers, and street level is what Brian Michael Bendis does great.

This is a one and done issue and looks at Luke Cage and Jessica Jones going on a date.  Naturally nothing goes as plan.  Most the issue act as character development for Jessica, as she decides what she should do with her life.  It's very funny at some points, including the discussion for if she should be Power Woman.  The dinner gets interrupted by a Doombot and Ms. Marvel makes an appearance.  I'm not sure where the Doombot came from, but I'll take a guess that it has to do with Fear Itself.

Daniel Acuna makes another appearance after doing for a few issues before the relaunch.  His art looks great, especially the action scenes.  Some of the talking head panels are a little lack luster, but they are still pretty for the most part.

New Avengers #8 gets 4/5.

Ultimate Comics Captain America #2:  The Ultimate Captain America has always been some of a bad ass (and as we saw in issue #1, somewhat of hating British people).  But the first issue was a load of fun that had a Vietnam feel to it, and issue #2 keeps with that.  As you can see by the awesome cover by Ron Garney.

Most of the issue is Cap getting the low down on how Frank Simpson became Captain America during the Vietnam War and what could have possible shoved him over the edge to turn into the flag hating person he is today.  Including how he got that massive flag tattoo on his face.  The entire book has a big Vietnam-esque feel to it, and Aaron (being the great writer that he is) uses that feeling to it's potential without the book feeling like a spoof of the era.  If this were a movie, it would have "Fortunate Son" by CCR playing the background.

Garney's pencils aren't as detailed as they have been in the past.  That's not to say they aren't good, and it' might be the inkers fault.  Some of his characters just blend in with the background.  But his action scenes are as kinetic as they ever have been.

Ultimate Comics Captain America #2 gets 5/5.

Due to me not having enough hours in the day, I'm just going to put the reviews for the other books I read this week here.

Ultimate Comics Avengers vs New Ultimates #1 gets 5/5
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #152 gets 5/5
Widowmaker #4 gets 3/5
Wolverine 5.1 gets 3.5/5

New Column is Up

Hello everyone.  My new column is up.  I talk about death in comic books and if we as a fan base are becoming jaded.

http://www.thesuffolkvoice.net/opinion/death-of-comic-book-characters-1.1973177

Reviews of ASM #652, Avengers #9 and more

Hello all again.  It was a small week for comics, as I only picked up four at the store and got a few in the a mail.  But either way, was a good week for the most part, and here we go.

Amazing Spider-Man #651:  A lot of people have been kind of ripping on Dan Slott for his direction and how it is to opportunistic for Peter/Spidey.  What else were you expecting?  That's what happens for every character.  Well either way, I think Slott has been doing a stand up job and #651 keeps the great issues a-coming.

Spider-Man and Black Cat finally make an attack on the Kingpin, with the Hobgoblin there to back him up.  Well Spidey has his shinny new suit, Cat makes a break for the valuables the Kingpin has. The issue ends with Peter and Carlie going out for dinner with Aunt May and (Uncle?) Jay.

Slott had a hard time of keeping the humor from falling flat during Brand New Day, but the humor aspect of these recent issues has been spot on.  The jokes may annoy some, but are genuinely witty, and are in classic Spider-Man fashion.  The friendship between Cat and Spidey gets some much needed development and will eventually affect his relationship with Carlie.  Speaking of Carlie, she has had some great characterization in this arc.  She is starting to stand out as someone who isn't MJ and someone who is actually a better person for Peter.

Humberto Ramos' art can turn off a lot of people, and his art has been a mixed bag for me during this arc.  Sometimes it's hyper detailed, then other times it's sketchy and hard to make out what is going on.  Thankfully his art lends more towards the first in this issue.  maybe it's because he is being rushed and still has to pencil #654.1, but it's not his best.  Once he gets more time though, I bet his pencils will get a lot better.

The backup feature is nice to have as it sets up the next arc.  This is going to be very useful in future issues.

Amazing Spider-Man #651 gets 4/5.

Amazing Spider-Man #652:  After bringing back one of the classic villains in Hobgoblin in the last arc, Dan Slott brings back the Spider-Slayers.  Peter and friends go to a roller derby game to watch Carlie play.  Smythe goes after JJJ and his family as they are naturally pissed at him.  The new Scorpion (Mac Gargan) makes his triumphant return and gets a "Gauntlet" like revamp. This leads to a fight on the side of a rocket that will no doubt be awesome.

The issue starts off strong enough with the roller derby scene, but there is some weird dialogue by MJ.  She has never seemed to be a jealous person and now that Peter is doing well with Carlie, she is?  It just seems weird and a sad attempt to keep MJ in the stories.  One thing I noticed which I'm very eager to see developed is Flash dating Betty.  With him becoming Venom soon, I'm eager to see how Betty fits into this and if Rick Remender will develop her at all.  The conversation MJ and Peter have about telling Carlie about Spider-Man is interesting.  It also leads to a comedic moment that had me laughing out loud.  But the argue about telling Carlie about Spider-Man is one that needs discussing.

She is a person who will no doubt handle it better than anyone else in Peter's life.  She already likes Spider-Man and even says that she considers him one of her friends.  And with Pete being the genius he is and her appreciating it, it doesn't seem far off that she would be supporting.  Naturally she would be surprised, but that would go away.  I could even see her eventually being fine with Peter lying to her after a few months.

Stefano Caselli's art is very good.  Some of his Spider-Slayers seem like Leviathan throwaways.  It still looks good, especially the new Scorpion suit, but maybe I'm looking for problems were there aren't any.

Amazing Spider-Man #652 gets 4/5.

Avengers #9:  Yep, the Illuminati have been revealed.  It's about damn time.  And Steve Rogers was the best person to find out.  We also find out how the Hood escaped prison and got to be so powerful.  It's all very interesting, but a little light on the action side, something that isn't bad, just something we aren't use to in a big title like this.

As much as I love Tony Stark and his recent mission of trying to be a better person, sometimes he does need some help.  And with Steve Rogers finally giving him the lesson he deserves.  Tony won't ever NOT be on the Avengers; he is to big a character to get rid of.  But Thor speaks some words of wisdom and that's how it most likely play out.  The side characters seem less like just talking heads and add a little more personality than usual.  This is nice and one of the bigger complaints about Avengers since it's relaunch.  The history of how the Hood got out of prison and got the Infinity Gems is interesting enough.  I like the Hood, so it's good to see him in power again.

I'm a fan of John Romita JR and every thing he does.  His recent Avengers issues though have been slightly lacking.  I'm guessing he is trying to do Kick Ass 2 and this, which is commendable to say the least.  So I will forgive these.  This month though, Romita steps up his game.  It also helps that Scott Hana inks the Hood scenes.  Scott Hana was the inker during his stellar run on Amazing Spider Man with JMS.  Klaus Janson is a great inker, but JRJR needs his lines to be bold.  His characters just look better.

Avengers #9 gets 4/5.

Brightest Day #19:  As loyal readers will know, I have had a love/hate relationship with Brightest Day. #19 is on the better side, but still straddles the line of being "eh."  Aquawar is starting, which means Aquaman's story progresses along nicely.  Aqualad gets some development and some believable development.  He seizes the moment and stands up and will be a great character in the future.  Aquaman gets his ass somewhat kicked but will most likely survive.  Deadman also feels the fallout of the end of #18, and we finally see the villain of Brightest Day.

The villain of Brightest Day doesn't feel original though.  It seems to much like Blackest Night for me.  The Aquaman story is good, but goes by a blazing speed, especially with most of his pages taking place just swimming.  The dialogue is good, but I would have wanted to see more action.  The cliffhanger seems false though, as we know he won't die.  Deadman will probably save him in the end.

Ivan Reis art looks AMAZING.  The fish look borderline like they were a photo.  The action scenes are kinetic and the panel flow is brilliant.  One thing about Brightest Day, is that the art always steps up even when the story isn't there.

Brightest Day #19

Invincible Iron Man #500.1: I picked this up for the hell of it, and I'm so glad I did.  The book is a great retelling of the history of Iron Man with Tony being at an AA meeting. 

I'm not going to give a big review of this, but Tony leaves a lot of his history ambiguous in the retelling.  This could turn off some new readers, but the scenes shown give enough history to get the gist of it.  If the reader wants to know the nitty gritty, they can go to Wikipedia.  The ending also gives a nice hint of the Pepper/Tony relationship.  Safe to say, I have found a new reason to add to the "not being able to wait for next months Invincible Iron Man" list.

The double page spread is kind of a waste though.  The pictures are just there and don't look connected at all.  I love me some teasers, but these are so vague that I can't guess anything.

Invincible Iron Man #500.1 gets 5/5.

Ultimate Comics Thor #4:  Jonathan Hickman has done a good job of tip toeing through Ultimate Marvel universe history, so this makes me sad when this issue doesn't live up to the past three issues.  We learn about how Thor gets his hammer and who Donal Blake really is.  It's interesting, but the issue feels like it is only there to set up the Ultimates.  I know the Ultimates series already came out, but did this issue have to lead in?  It couldn't have been it's own story that just hinted at the Ultimates?  Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable and a fun issue, but the bar was set up to high for it.

Carlos Pacheo falls under the same group as Hickman.  His art in the past three issue has been great.  Every panel had motion and the panel transitions were great.  Sadly there are a few spots where I had to go back and reread a panel to try and figure out how they got to the next panel.  It again goes with the bar being set very high in past issues.  

One personal problem, is that this isn't going to be an ongoing.  Hickman seems to have a lot of ideas for Ultimate Thor that I would love to see on a monthly basis.  Maybe we could have another mini-series very soon?  Maybe after the fallout of "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man?"  Ultimate Thor really seemed to like Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man #150.

Ultimate Comics Thor gets 3.5/5

Spider-Girl #3:  This title has been one of the shining lights in my comic pull list.  The past two months have been great reads.  It makes me sad that this month is slightly sub par.

Spider-Girl deals with the fallout of her fathers death.  She talks to a few people, acting like any teenager would.  It's refreshing that she wants to talk to normal people and not super heroes.  The story also sets up a nice direction for Anya after talking with the Red Hulk.  I'm happy that Paul Tobin didn't just make Rulk a mindless killing machine after everything Jeff Parker has done to make the Red Hulk a likable character.  What I most enjoyed was the end talk with Sue Storm.  It seemed natural and Sue is a natural mother type in the Fantastic Four.  Jon Hickman, maybe have Anya make a guest appearance in F.F.?

What kept me from giving this series another perfect score was the massive switch in artists.  Clayton Henry has done an amazing job of making Anya look like a teenager and not a hyper sexualized hero in a black skintight suit.  Tim Seeley penicls part of the issue and throws that completely out the window.  She looks like a 22 year old model who doesn't eat all of a sudden.  Sergio Cariello's art works nicely for the flashback sequences.  But the change is never smooth and it takes the reader out of the book.

One thing this book has done well is making Spider-Girl be an example female superhero.  This has been greatly missed since Ms. Marvel had her ongoing cancelled back in February.  She is strong, assertive, and doesn't just listen to the male superheroes.  She talks to Spider-Man, but wants to more listen to Sue Storm.  It's refreshing and one of the main reasons I love this book so much.

Spider-Girl #3 gets 4/5