It’s the weekend, yay!!!!
Around the Blogs:
Reelz – Lionsgate Developing Movie Based on Nicolas Cage’s Stolen Superman Comic Book – Ok, now we’re getting kind of meta.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
Saffron Walden Reporter – Captain America: American Dreamers
Claws & Fists – Lone Wolves
CBR – The Manhattan Projects #1
Catching up on reviews….
Batgirl #5 - There’s a new villain for Batgirl called Gretel and some weirdness with the number 338. It’s all ok, but not the quality we know Gail Simone can do. The best parts of the series are the quiet moments when Barbara is reflecting on her life in and out of the cape.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5
Batman and Robin #5 - Damian has thrown his lot in with Ducard as we get the background between Ducard and Wayne. The story is ok and somewhat predictable. The art is changed up a bit too. Overall, the read is good, but not necessarily great.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75
Battle Scars #3 - The issue is a lot of fighting as Marcus Johnson continues to try to figure out who is trying to kill him. This six issue limited series just feels like one long origin story. Hopefully it pays off.
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7
Batwoman #5 - The series relaunch isn’t as quality as the previous with a supernatural bent to it all. The story is so-so, but the art is amazing. It’s a buy just for that reason alone. Hopefully the story quality ramps up a bit as the series progresses.
Story: 7 Art: 8.75 Overall: 7.5
Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #528 - The Panther is playing a game of chess with Fisk for the fate of Wakanda. The story is entertaining enough and this issue has a very different artistic look. I loved the art and would dig seeing a pulp/noir comic that looks like this. This is the second to last issue and it’ll be interesting to see how it ends.
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8
Brilliant #2 - The second issue of this Kick-Ass wannabe is ok and there’s a lot of interesting stuff in it. But, the series feels tired and not fresh enough since so many other stories have walked this territory. It’s not bad, it’s just not great.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75
Captain America #7 - Captain America keeps reverting and madbombs are being set off. The story has a camp feel about it, but the art I think is just not as quality as it’s been in the past. It’s a classic feel of a story, with art that also feels like it’s from the past. Overall, not as strong as the past story arcs.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5
Daken: Dark Wolverine #19 - Wow is that a bad ending. The art is sup-par, the story is a let down. Overall, not the quality that we’ve seen. It’s a shame because the character has so much potential.
Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75
Green Lantern #5 - What is the Chamber of Shadows and who is the first Lantern? So many questions are raised here after Jordan and Sinestro’s battle against the Sinestro Corps. The story is intriguing and I want to see what else is in store that hasn’t been done before.
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8
Journey Into Mystery #633 - A transition issue with some fantastic writing, but the story itself is slow. The individual words are fantastic though. Very odd. There’s a slow fantasy build to it all as Loki has nightmares and the Son of Satan is looking for a demon. This is just the beginning but really it’s for the hardcore Thor fans.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75
Mega Man #9 - Much like the video games, this latest ark feels rather similar to what’s come before. That’s not a bad thing as just with the games, it was all quality. Hopefully the story arc switches it up just enough, but it’s nostalgic fun for the whole family. Perfect for kids and their parents who grew up playing the video games.
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8
The New Avengers #20 - The team takes on Osborn and his crew. Overall there’s some very interesting stuff here and the usual solid and entertaining writing. I feel like we’ve seen this story before, but it’s still good.
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25
Resurrection Man #5 – We finally get a sense of Resurrection Man’s origin and it’s actually pretty cool. The story got very interesting with the latest revelations and that ending. I’m digging the series which is one of a few that are bringing Vertigo quality and horror to the DCU.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25
Scarlet Spider #1 - Kaine is in Houston and the story is very fun having a bit of an edgier tone from the Spider-Man comics I’ve read in the past. The issue is the history of Kaine is so convoluted. There’s clearly torment there that adds depth to the character, but unless you know it all, there’s a bit lost in the entertainment. There is a bit at the end about Kaine, sort of, but even that just shows how overly complicated the Spider-Man history is.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Secret Avengers #21 - A mission to take on some weird beings and all I could think of was when Warren Ellis would be off of the series. It’s not bad, but there’s just not a reason for the series.
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7
Suicide Squad #5 - It’s a jailbreak and the squad is kicking ass. The series is fun and there’s a lot of solid moments in it. It’s definitely not Secret Six and is taking a bit to find it’s footing, but the series is entertaining.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.5
Superboy #5 - Superboy is having some issue with Nowhere and Gen-13 is looking like it’s coming more and more to the DC universe. There’s a lot of hints being dropped in the series which is a slow, but decent build up to…. something.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.5
Ultimate Comics X-Men #6 - Wow is all I can say. So much going on and so solid. Is Rogue a traitor? Was there some plan? And who is getting her to do everything she’s doing? That answer is a shocker. I really need to go back and get caught up on everything.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Wolverine #300 - The situation with the Silver Samurai is finally being taken care of. Also, what the hell is up with Sabretooth coming back? So much I liked and so much I didn’t. But Wolverine is getting back to the decent read it used to be.
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8
Wolverine & the X-Men #4 - Logan is dealing with the fact that he’s now as much of a teacher as he is a murderer. The issue is great with so many fantastic moments, especially for what it hints might be coming. This is one of the best “X” books out there right now.
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.5
X-Factor #230 - The team is debating Guido having no soul and Jamie is in his weird world. Wolverine makes a social call and offers up the team to join his side of the split. This is the beginning of some great things I think.
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8.25
X-Men: Legacy #260.1 - The series shifts to the new school with some humor mixed into the issue. The art is ok, but there’s potential here. I’m interested in seeing how this series stands out. A bit of an improvement.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5
If you went to the 2012 Toy Fair, you might have been one of the lucky ones to get this exclusive Lego figures of Captain America and Iron Man. It’s limited to 125 sets and already commanding obscene amounts of money on ebay.
(via Brick Heroes)
Created by Sam Peckinpah, this is just bloody fantastic.
Pics of Lego‘s upcoming Marvel sets are beginning to hit the tubes. Below are the three Ultrabuild sets of Iron Man, Hulk and Captain America. I can’t wait!
(via Brick Heroes)
I’m WAY behind in my reviews, but here’s there first batch of them. Hopefully I can be nice and caught up in a week or so. It was the last week of the year and that saw a lot of new releases. It was a thick stack of books… did the year end on a good note? Find out below.
All-Star Western #4 – Jonah is still in Gotham, this time hired to look for missing children. The story is decent and pretty entertaining, but there’s a hint as to what he stumbles into, and while I like him being tied into the greater DCU, I’m not sure if connections like this are a bit too cute. Still though, we have a western comic that’s a great read in both story and art.
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8
Alpha Flight #7 – Wolverine shows up to see what’s going on and it turns into good guys versus good guys before they team up to take on the bad guys. This limited series turned ongoing turned back into limited series has one more issue to go. It hasn’t been a bad read, but also hasn’t knocked it out of the park like I’d hope.
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7
American Vampire #22 – Flash forward to 1954 and we have a new story arc from the vampire hunter angle. It’s a completely different comic in a way and so damn good. The main character just exudes the time and bleeds cool. Add in some great story telling when it comes to revealing the plot and you’ve got a hell of a way to end the year.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Annihilators: Earthfall #4 – Hmmm, not the best of cosmic Marvel. Hopefully whatever 2012 has in store, it’ll be better than this.
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7
Aquaman #4 – Aquaman and Mera head into the trenches to free the people kidnapped by the weird fish people. All of that raises lots more questions that don’t get answered, but gives a good place to go over the next year. The art is fantastic, writing top notch. Aquaman is one of the best super hero comics being put out by DC and one of the best on the market.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Astonishing X-Men #45 – Astonishing X-Men to me has struggled as to where it’s stood in the “X” cannon and how it stood out from the other “X” series out there. This story arc which has Cyclops in another universe is pretty damn interesting, but I’m still not sure it’s enough to really justify it’s existence. Still, much better than what’s come before.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5
Avengers: Children’s Crusade #8 – So I guess this character wasn’t big enough to make headlines about being killed off? It’s been a while since we saw the last issue for this series which feels like it started years ago. The two teams fight Doom who then hints that he was behind Wanda going crazy. Did we just get a crappy retcon!? Ugh. This limited series has dragged as far as release schedule and not lived up to what I’d hope as far as story, but the art has been solid.
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 7.75
Batman: the Dark Knight #4 – Batman investigates Ivy’s hideout and chases some leads in an ok issue of the comic. Really, the focus is on friendships and how being Batman crushes Bruce Wayne’s personal life and limits his personal friendships. There’s a bunch I like about the comic, but some things seem a bit forced. Some foreshadowing though that could get interesting. This is the Batman book that’s more about the visuals than the plot.
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 7.75
Black Panther: the Most Dangerous Man Alive #527 – The Panther and Kingpin’s chess game continues as each attempts to out-maneuver each other. It’s sad the series only has a bit to go. It’s such high quality and deserves and audience. The art too is great with a very interesting style in this particular issue.
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8
The Cape #3 – Um wow. To say the moment my jaw dropped would ruin the comic. The issue and series is balls out, just going full throttle. The body count is rising but how can someone prove there’s a flying person out to get them?
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Captain America #5 – Hydra is starting to role again as Cap battles in the dream world. The ending to the first story arc wasn’t bad, but there was something a bit off about it. The good part is we start to get a sense of a weakness when it comes to Steve Rogers and Captain America.
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.75
Captain America #6 – Steve’s got some doubts and he also might be having issues with the super soldier serum. He and Hawkeye head out for a night of crime fighting and run into an old nemesis. The arc has been solid so far, the art I’m not totally sold on though.
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8.25
Captain America & Bucky #625 – Cap is drawn into a murder mystery surrounding the Cap and Bucky that replaced him after he was frozen (yes a bit confusing to explain). The story is pretty damn interesting and very entertaining and shows off some more “lost” history of Captain America.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
DMZ #72 – And with that, the series comes to an end. Brian Wood’s series about war and those impacted by it turns into a love letter to New York City and those that live there. The series for seventy-two issues has been solid and some of the best political commentary in an entertainment medium. The ending is bitter sweet. A great comic, but you don’t want it to end, because that brilliance comes to a close with it.
Story: 9.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9.25
FF #13 – The kids, Doom, Reed Richards and Nathaniel Richards stand against the made Celestials. It’s interesting, but the bigger questions is how does writer Jonathan Hickman’s crazy storytelling all weave together. he’s put together an epic Fantastic Four story for the ages.
Story: 8.25 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.25
the Flash #4 – Mob Rule is causing all sorts of issues as folks have to deal with the affects of the EMP blast and folks are confused by the Flash’s passing a plane through a bridge. This issue has some amazing visuals and the story has some good pacing. It doesn’t stand on it’s own, but as part of the story arc, it’s solid.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Green Hornet #20 – The new Hornet and Kato take on a bad guy that their parents did in this self contained issue. The relationship between the two is the focus really and it’s a reminder that this isn’t your parents’ Hornet. The art takes a bit of a dip, but the story is solid enough to keep this series entertaining.
Story: 8 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.75
Green Lantern: New Guardians #4 – We start to get down to the mystery of the rings and Kyle. There’s a lot here that I’ve never seen before, especially at the end. The story is a giant fight scene and a bit muddled, but there’s some original stuff here and that has to be given lots of props.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75
I, Vampire #4 – Bennett meet Constantine, Constantine meet Bennett. It’s a good story as these two individuals must deal with another vampire. There’s a twist at the end I wasn’t expecting at all which just makes it that much better. This is easily one of the best comics to come out of DC’s relaunch.
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75
Iron Man 2.0 #12 – Wow, such a bad ending…. the series had a great start and then just went off the track into a wall.
Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75
Justice League Dark #4 – What the hell did I read. The series is just not doing it for me. The story is muddled and really confusing. It’s too choppy without a really solid narrative to pull it all together. The series has a lot of potential, but so far I haven’t seen it come close to living up to it.
Story: 6.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.75
Kick-Ass 2 #6 – The most entertaining thing about this issue is seeing Hit-Girl spout out really inappropriate things. The series is over the top violence at this point without much of a narrative. The first volume was Shakespeare compared to this mess of a follow up. Millar wants to shock and awe, but missed the mark you need a story first to really pull that off.
Story: 6.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.25
the Mighty Thor #9 – Loki still tries to figure out who Thor is. Taranus does his thing and the All Mothers decide to turn Asgard into a Republic. Um yeah… things got rather interesting in this series.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5
Secret Avengers #20 – Wow did this issue make my head hurt. Lots of time jumping and the story and art are interesting, but overall, call we move the series forward instead of these pointless self-contained stories?
Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7
Spaceman #3 – The series is beyond unique and creative but I think it doesn’t read all that great as single issues. I’m definitely waiting for the trade and reading it all at once.
Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75
Teen Titans #4 – Superboy takes on Wonder Girl as the Teen Titans finally get their members together. The series has a great tone and some entertaining interaction. The art is solid as well. This is one of my favorite series of the DC relaunch.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Micro-Series Michelangelo – Michelangelo gets caught up in a diamond heist. The story is entertaining and the art is solid. I’ve loved the new TMNT series from IDW and these self contained issues have been just as good. Great for TMNT fans new and old.
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25
Ultimate Comics the Ultimates #5 – This issue is just solid. All kinds of great moments just building up to the eventual battle. This issue doesn’t stand on it’s own, but as part of the greater story so far, it’s so good. As usual, great art and great plot.
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5
Ultimate Comics X-Men #5 – Um, holy crap. So the beginning of the comic hinted at the ending, but I didn’t put two and two together as to what it all meant until those last few panels. This comic just is so tense and so amazing. The series as a whole just rocks. The art, story, like the other Ultimate comics, I’m so happy I took chance with the relaunch.
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75
Uncanny X-Men #3 – The team continues to fight Sinister and also have Celestials to deal with. The story and art is ok. To me, that’s it, just ok. There’s two different teams basically and I think the quality is different too. Out of all of the “X” books two stand out to me, Wolverine & the X-Men and Uncanny X-Force. Uncanny, just doesn’t live up to the relaunch and continues on it’s meh course.
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5
Voodoo #4 – Voodoo is on a mission to learn about the world’s super heroes. Seriously, Marz has been booted from this series? His mix of action heroine/spy/super hero comic is fresh and is as solid as they come. Hopefully the series keeps it up, but I have my doubts the quality will keep up.
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25
X-Men: Legacy #260 – In a transition issue, Rogue and friends rescue Ariel and Korvus is dealt with. The issue really just moves the story along with a dip in art and overall a ho-hum.
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25
While no photos have been seen, the news of what we can expect as far as Marvel Lego sets has begun to leak out. At San Diego Comic Con 2011 it was announced Lego would be producing sets based on DC and Marvel characters. The Marvel sets would be based on the Avengers movie, X-Men comics and Spider-Man comics. What we know so far from postings on the French Amazon website:
Spider-Man
6873 Doc Ock’s Ambush - estimated release 8/15/12 – expect Spider-Man vs. Doc Octopus
Avengers
6865 – Captain America’s ™ Avenging Cycle – Captain America, Nick Fury (+ a motorcycle)
6867 – Loki’s ™ Cosmic Cube Escape – Loki, Thor, Captain America
6868 – Hulk’s ™ Helicarrier Breakout – Hulk, Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America
6869 – Quinjet Aerial Battle – Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Man (+ the Quinjet)
X-Men
6866 – Wolverine’s ™ Chopper Showdown – Wolverine, Deadpool, Magneto (+ a motorcycle)
Avengers Ultrabuild
Below are my photos from San Diego Comic 2011 of the figures that were shown on the show floor:
(via Brick Heroes)
Just a few days left of the year and we’re putting together our “best of” awards. Who walks out as publisher of the year? Find out January 1st.
Around the Blogs:
The Guardian – Ker-pow! Women kick back against comic-book sexism – Only women can really solve the issue of women in comics.
Comics Alliance – Kevin Wada Takes the X-Men and More into the World of High-Fashion [Art] – Some nice art.
Mashable – Pirates Like Vin Diesel: Top 10 Illegally Shared Movies of 2011 – Only Thor makes the top ten here.
Around the Tubes Reviews:
Novel Report – Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 1 The Promise Part 1 TPB
Comic Book Movie – Black Fire
Falcata Times – The Boys Vol. 9: Big Ride
ICv2 – The Innocent
Complex – Review: Two Issues Of “Captain America” Close Out A Great Year For Comics
Official Press Release
AVENGERS VS X-MEN Leads to The Can’t Miss Digital Comic 99 Cents Sale!
New York, NY—December 21, 2011—Not only is everyone talking about Avengers VS X-Men, the comic book event of 2012, but it’s also the holiday season—and that means it’s the perfect time for the most exciting digital comics sale ever! From December 21st (at 12:01am EST) to December 30th (at 11:00PM EST), experience the AVENGERS VS X-MEN: MAJOR PLAYERS sale on the Marvel Comics app , featuring some of the most important stories in comics history for only 99 cents per issue!
The world’s greatest super heroes—Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and more—go to war with each other in 2012, but now’s your chance to learn all about the Avengers and the X-Men before the first punch is thrown!
Don’t miss a single issue of the Avengers VS X-Men Major Players Sale, including:
But remember, this is a limited time offer—it all ends on December 30th! So fire up the Marvel Comics app right now to take advantage of the Avengers VS X-Men Major Players Sale!
Which team will reign supreme? Join the conversation on Twitter with #AvX!
For exclusive Avengers VS X-Men desktop wallpapers visit www.marvel.com
I still haven’t really checked out DC Universe Online, but I’ll be much more inclined to play Gazillion’s offshoot Secret Identity’s Marvel Universe MMO video game. Check out Iron Man, Captain America, The Thing and Thor below.
(via Kotaku)
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When a product has been provided for free you will see disclosure at the bottom of the article. When such a disclosure does not exist, you can assume that the items have been purchased for review.
- The Management
