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Wallcrawlers Webswing Into the Warzones! A New Look at Spider-Verse #1!

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Brett

The biggest Spider-Man event of all time was just the beginning! This May, writer Mike Costa and artist Andre Lima Araujo wallcrawl and webswing through Secret Wars in the pages of Spider-Verse #1! And they’re bringing along a team of some of the most popular Spider-Men and Spider-Women! The battle with Morlun and the Inheriors may be over, but the battle is just heating up! Stranded on Battleworld, a small band of universe-hopping heroes – Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man: India, Spider-Girl, Spider-UK and Spider-Ham – will find themselves face to face with the worst Secret Wars has to offer. How did they get here? What happened to their homes? What tragedy has befallen this region of Battleworld and how will this team of spiders cope? Amidst the horror and the fury of this strange new planet, six spider powered heroes stand alone. United as one, is this a new beginning, or a grisly end? Find out this May in the can’t miss pages of Spider-Verse #1!

SPIDER-VERSE #1 (MAR150676)
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (MAR150677)
FOC – 04/27/15, On-Sale – 05/20/15

Review: Spider-Woman #5

Posted on March 5, 2015 by

In the history of new title launches for superheroes at the big two comic publishers, there might not have been as strange of a debut as Spider-Woman underwent to get to what is the now fifth issue of the series. Before the series was even debuted it underwent a massive amount of well-deserved criticism for the depiction of its main character on one of its variant covers. For those fans that were not deterred by this they picked up the first issue and found the character somewhat confusingly dropped into the middle of the Spider-Verse crossover. After five issues, the character is once again rebooted, this time getting her own “Batgirl” treatment, in league with other female characters at the big two that are getting younger, more confident and more up-to-date.

The story follows Jessica Drew as she has thrown off her larger commitments in the superhero community to focus on her life as a “normal” superhero, more focused on the streets than on the skies. Some parts of this don’t work, for instance as she is depicted as a bit of rookie in her efforts despite her long career, but on the whole the grassroots approach to the character works. When she is teamed up with Ben Urich, the story starts to kick into a higher gear, as both the reader and the main character realize the importance of heeding Ben’s journalistic instincts.

What is evident about this issue is that the creative team has the potential to pull this together, and only begs the question why they were not allowed to do that in the first place before all the controversy and all the misdirection (in which case Batgirling would be replaced by Spiderwomaning?) Regardless while this series and this story still has some ground to make up, and despite that some of the previous four issues read well as individual issues, this #5 feels like a #1 and perhaps there is hope yet for Jessica to get some of the attention that is deserved.

Story: Dennis Hopeless Art: Javier Rodriguez
Story: 8.3 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Read

Review: Silk #1

Posted on February 18, 2015 by

If it was Marvel’s intention to get its own version of the new Batgirl with the implementation of Silk then it would appear that it has it. Silk was introduced during the events surrounding Spider-Verse, but also immediately began a fan favorite because of her back story and design. This new series takes a look at Silk following the crossover as she tries to enter back into a normal life after being stuck in that bunker for 10 years. The background story is that she was bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his powers, and parts of her new life mirrors his, as she gets a job at the Daily Bugle and she has to struggle with her normal life combined with that of a superhero.

While it seems like this is indeed Marvel’s attempt to mirror the success of Batgirl at DC, it is also evident that they are going about it in a smart way so as to not seem like a direct rip-off. There are in fact a few different plot devices here that are cliched enough, but work well together here. One of those is that Silk is dealing with her powers in a different way. After being locked in the bunker, her spider senses are now like a raw nerve, picking up problems all over the place, whether big or small. The anachronistic aspect of her being locked in a bunker adds a layer to her character, as does The Fugitive like mystery surrounding her family, and so does her eclectic group of friends and the way in which she interacts with them.

The overall balance is one which is great first start to this new series, something which Spider-Woman should have had the chance to do instead of being thrown straight into Spider-Verse. The character has a surprising amount of depth despite being new, and the ongoing story lines are compelling but do not confuse each other with their trajectories. This is a great new character from the big two, which all too often are a bit too male-centric in their creative choices, and if this new wave of female led series is any indication, then it would appear that this is no fad, and that these new outlooks on these characters is here to stay.

Story: Robbie Thompson Art: Stacey Lee
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Wallcrawling Webslinging Warriors Cross into the Warzone! in Spider-Verse #1!

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Brett

The biggest Spider-Man event of all time continues in the Warzone! this May as spider-powered heroes from every universe find themselves stranded on the surface of Battleworld in Spider-Verse #1! From writer Mike Costa and Andre Lima Araujo comes a brand-new Secret Wars series pitting the breakout stars of the Spider-Verse event against the worst Battleworld can throw at them!

Their battle with Morlun and the Inheritors may be over, but the war is just heating up! Stranded on Battleworld a small band of universe-hopping heroes – Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man: India, Spider-Girl, Spider-UK and Spider-Ham – will find themselves face to face with the horrors of Battleworld. How did they get here? What happened to their homes? What tragedy has befallen this region of Battleworld and how will these Spider-Men and Women deal with it?

Amidst the horrors of the Secret Wars, six spider powered heroes stand alone. But here, united as one on the surface of Battleworld, are they here for a new beginning, or a grisly ending? Webs will be slung. Walls shall be crawled. And the answers you seek like in the can’t miss pages of Spider-Verse #1 – swinging in to comic shops and digital devices this May!

SPIDER-VERSE #1
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by ANDRE LIMA ARAUJO
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
On Sale in May!

Review: Spider-Woman #3

Posted on January 28, 2015 by

Except for die-hard Spider-Man fans that were planning on buying every single issue of Spider-Verse, there are very few who though that launching the first issue of Spider-Woman into a large company-wide crossover was a good idea. Now two issues later the series is still dealing with the same burden. The obvious pratfalls of such an approach are numerous. Among the most prominent of these are the fact that the character doesn’t get a chance to start on his or her own without being overshadowed by guest stars and that for the fans interested in the character or series and not the crossover, that each issue has to stand by itself. Looking at this individual issue in this light reveals that it succeeds in the first sense but fails in the latter.

There is some good here, and that is the characterization of the main character, almost overflowing with life as she tries to break out of the confines of her own series. The story opens with her in a cat-and-mouse game with someone that is keeping her captive just happens to love an alternate version of her. Her dealings with him are humorous and do the character justice, and her depiction in a Victorian era gown (with a bit of dark gothic thrown in) throughout the issue is also a fun representation of the character. Where the problems come from is from the other half of the equation and that is in the storytelling. For the non-reader of Spider-Verse, it is hard to make sense at times of what exactly is going on here. There is a mansion, which leads to a pocket dimension with a friendly spider-god and then there are pirates (?). Where any work of fiction depends on either strong characters or a strong story, this issue is almost there with the strong character, but she is hopelessly lost in story which has no firm direction. Truly, based on previous success of this character, the series is likely to succeed by siphoning off Spider-Man fans, but there are other fans too, and it seems as though this is forgotten.

What the reader is left with is a mess, kind of parallel to when one watches a horrible movie that is well acted. The characterization is wasted here on an incoherent mess that loses sight of its own goals in being able to hold this together. There is still a lot of potential for this series and this character, only it seems as though won’t be realized until the Spider-Verse is wrapped up and pushed aside. Until then, readers will continue to get a glimpse of what could be while trying to decipher the rest.

Story: Dennis Hopeless Art: Greg Land
Story: 6.5 Art: 8 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Pass

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Posted on January 15, 2015 by Brett

Star Wars #1 hit stores yesterday. How many of you picked it up? What’d you think?

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Comic Vine – Amazing X-Men #15

Comic Vine – Avengers #40

CBR – Batgirl #38

The Beat – Conan/Red Sonja #1

Comic Vine – Daredevil #12

Comic Vine – Deep State #3

Comic Vine – Ghosted #16

Comic Vine – Green Lantern Corps #38

Talking Comics – Lady Killer #1

The Beat – Mortal Kombat X #1

Comic Vine – S.H.I.E.L.D. #2

Comic Vine – Spider-Verse #2

The Examiner – The Superior Iron Man #1

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Review: Spider-Woman #1

Posted on November 19, 2014 by

After much controversy and word-of-mouth, the new Spider-Woman series finally arrives. It has now been a few years since Spider Woman headlined her own series, and a few decades since her first and most successful run in comics, and so a lot of fans are excited about the chance to be re-introduced to the character on a monthly basis. The story follows Spider Woman as she jumps through various universes in the multiverse, trying to keep the newly introduced Silk alive. As an introduction to the character this is one of the strangest that I have seen. Comic book crossovers are an inescapable truth in comics, but this is one of the few times that I have seen the first issue of an ongoing series which incorporates in a large crossover, in this case Spider-verse. It is a strange mix, because the series hits the ground running, and for the curious fans that might have wanted to pick up this issue because of all of the buzz, they might come in here feeling a little blind if they have at least not been exposed to anything else Spider-Verse related.

Because of that this issue faces a bit of an uphill battle in order to succeed, but it manages to do so, and on the strength of its characters. Silk is a brand new character, but is immediately likeable. Spider Woman, as the veteran superhero provides an anchor for the various comings-and-goings of other Spider characters in this book (of which there are three) which incidentally show three of the other “Spider-Women” (missing only a couple.) This was a nice touch, to include so many versions of the titular character in one place and at least pays better homage to what has come before than many first issues manage to do.

The end result is a decent issue with some fun moments and fun dialogue. It is maybe not the best start that this series could have gotten off to, but it was sort of forced into the larger story arc and forced to adapt, which it does well. At the very least, with an ongoing series featuring Spider Woman, with Silk as her ally/sidekick, this series should be interesting, and without the crossover into Spider-Verse the future looks bright for it finding its own identity.

Story: Dennis Hopeless Art: Greg Land
Story: 8.5 Art: 9 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

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Posted on November 17, 2014 by Brett

It’s a new week! What’s everyone doing as the year begins to wrap up?

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New York Daily News – Sex, drugs and AIDS: New graphic novel by Joyce Brabner looks at early days of epidemic – This sounds fantastic.

Around the Tubes Reviews

Talking Comics – Batman #36

Talking Comics – The Kitchen #1

Talking Comics – Spider-Verse #1

Seattle Pi – The Werewolf of New York

Talking Comics – The Wolf Gift

Talking Comics – Wytches #2

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Posted on November 13, 2014 by Brett

It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d everyone get? Anything stand out? If you haven’t gotten yours this week, what are you looking forward to?

Around the Tubes Reviews

CBR – All-New Captain America #1

Comic Vine – All-New Captain America #1

Comicsgirl – Art Schooled

Talking Comics – Batgirl #36

Comic Vine – Batman #36

CBR – Batman #36

Comic Vine – Deep State #1

Comic Vine – Drifter #1

Rob Patey’s Comic Books & Corporate Communications Blog – The Gifted Vol. 1 and 2

Comic Vine – Green Lantern Corps. #36

Talking Comics – John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1

Comic Vine – The Kitchen #1

Comic Vine – Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #7

ICv2 – No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! Vol. 5 TP

Comic Vine – Prometheus: Fire and Stone #3

Seattle Pi – Silver Vol. 1

Comic Vine – Spider-Verse #1

The Beat – Superior Iron Man #1

Comic Vine – Superior Iron Man #1

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Build Up Your Variant Collection With Marvel Rocket Raccoon & Groot Variants!

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Brett

The breakout comic book characters of the year are taking over the covers of your favorite Marvel titles this November! That’s right True Believer, Rocket Raccoon & Groot Variants are coming, featuring some of the best and brightest talents in the industry! Not only will you get to see so many great artists putting their own spin on Rocket & Groot, but 20 of your favorite Marvel comics will feature these one-of-a-kind variants depicting some of the most classic of covers!