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Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 4/4/12

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Brett

Ok, I slowed down in the whole catching up on my reviews thing… but back to it and hopefully I’ll totally be caught up by the end of June… if not sooner.

Age of Apocalypse #2 – The remaining resistance is on the run and Jean Grey and Sabretooth’s role is still up in the air. The series is solid and different, with some solid art. The series is different enough to stand out from the rest of the “X” books. I missed the original Age of Apocalypse, so this’ll do for me.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

American Vampire #25 – Scott Snyder’s series is amazing and this issue ties so many threads together. I can’t wait to see what he does and what he has in store for the series. I can’t get enough of this series and it absolutely shows off why Snyder is one of the best writers out there.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5

Animal Man #8 – The battle against the Rot continues as Animal Man and Swamp Thing are going to team up and collide. The series shows that the Vertigo feel can work and work well in the modern DC universe. The art is solid on top of it. This is one of the best series to come out of DC’s relaunch.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Avengers Academy #28 – The team up with the Runaways continues and there’s a bunch I like, and a lot I don’t. The series just feels like the B-team for Avengers. We’ll see where it goes, but hopefully post Avengers Vs. X-Men the series will get a nice shake-up.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25

Avengers Vs. X-Men #1 – This is it? There’s some great build up and tension, but the old quote about sound and fury signifying nothing stands out to me. It’s just one issue, but I hope there’s more to it all than just this. The art is pretty solid, but overall, pretty meh so far.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Batman: Detective Comics #8 – While the art is pretty decent, I think the story really shows how excellent Snyder’s Batman is compared to this inferior series.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Batwing #8 – We find out the identity of Massacre. I can’t say I’m shocked. The ending to the first arc is ok. It’s not quite the solid series it was when it started, but still a nice addition to the Bat family.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Brilliant #3 – A debate rages as to how to handle the discovery as the FBI attempts to put together what happened. This series feels like a tame Mark Millar series. Without the swearing and over the top violence. Not sure if that’s a good thing… either part.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Chew #25 – Tony is captured and this series shows why it’s one of the most creative and original ones out there. The story is as off the hook as can be expected and art entertaining as usual. A series that should be on everyone’s pull-list.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Danger Club #1 – The adults are away and the children will play. The adult super heroes might be dead, so the kids have taken over. The series just has awesome punch to it with solid art. It’s not totally original, but it’s damn entertaining.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Daredevil #10.1 – A great point one that introduces Daredevil to new readers and catches them up on information you know. I’m loving the Omegadrive story. Watching the groups after it attempt to get it is beyond entertaining. Mark Waid is at the top of his game with this series and the art is amazing.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Fairest #2 – The art is fantastic and story solid in this spin-off from Fables. Two issues in and you can see the series falls more into the fantasy end of things, picking up on some threads left from the main series. It’s only two issues, but it’s two solid issues.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Fear Itself: The Fearless #12 – So, Hellstrom is a bad guy in this book, but a good guy in Circle of Four and Journey? Get the characters straight!!! There’s some interesting stuff set up here, but overall, this twelve part series was a mess.

Story: 6 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.25

New Mutants #40 – Douglock fights Ani-Matter and I yawn…

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Red Lanterns #8 – Take this story and switch the color to a different Corps… does it make a difference? No, not really and that’s where the story fails for me. Red Lanterns should have an animalistic feel to them and here they just come off like a bland version of Yellow or Green.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Secret Avengers #24 – A cool story still with the team taking on various cyborg like beings in the Marvel universe that have come together. It’s a somewhat original story, and the art is pretty solid. I think the series is finally finding it’s footing.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Stormwatch #8 – The team takes on a pretty huge threat and Midnighter makes a hell of a decision. The series is finally getting good for me, and hopefully it continues on this pace.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Swamp Thing #8 – A series that’s been more Vertigo and horror than superhero swings the superhero way as Swamp Thing goes after the Rot in the beginning of a hell of a battle. Compared to past issues, the issue is just ok, but it’s one piece of a much bigger and excellent story.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7

Thunderbolts #172 – The renegade Thunderbolts fight the original Thunderbolts in a pretty typical battle issue. There’s some potential here, but so far it’s pretty average but still somewhat entertaining.

Story: 7 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9 – Miles meets the police and his uncle comes calling when he runs into trouble. The series continues it’s excellence as a new Spider-Man still gets his act together. The art is great and story solid.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Venom #15 – Flash must deal with the last few weeks and his getting up and heading to Vegas. His personal life is unraveling while he deals with having been attached to Venom so long. The series is getting back into the swing of things focusing on Flash’s personal life as much as the superhero. That’s when it’s great.

Story: 8.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.25

Wolverine and the X-Men #8 – The kids head off to find God (not really) while Wolverine deals with his getting beaten down at the Casino. Meanwhile the Hellfire Club hires Sabretooth to give them some tips which leads to Sabretooth fighting Beast in an awesome fight. The issue is all over the place and pure amazing.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

2012 Glyph Comics Awards Winners Announced

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Brett

The 2012 Glyph Comics Awards winners have been announced and Princeless has walked away with numerous awards.

The complete winners are:

Story of the year: Princeless, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab Entertainment)

Best writer: Jeremy Whitley, Princeless (Action Lab Entertainment)

Best artist: Sara Pichelli, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (Marvel)

Best cover: Chew #27, Rob Guillory (Image Comics)

Best male character: Miles Morales, Ultimate Spider-Man; Brian Michael Bendis, writer, Sara Pichelli, artist; inspired by the character created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (Marvel)

Best female character: Adrienne, Princeless; created by Jeremy Whitley, writer, and M. Goodwin, artist (Action Lab Entertianment)

Rising star award for best self-publisher: Whit Taylor, Watermelon

Best comic strip or webcomic: Fungus Grotto, by Ms. Shatia Hamilton

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 3/7/12

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Brett

That’s three week’s of reviews taken care of this week. Getting closer to catching up.

Age of Apocalypse #1 – It’s the last remaining humans versus Weapon Omega and a world full of mutants. It’s the reverse of the 616 in a way and while I missed the Age of Apocalypse the first time around, the writing style, voice and art have me wanting to come back for more.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Animal Man #7 – The battle along with Swamp Thing is growing nearer as the Rot continues to hunt Animal Man and his family. The story is solid as expected and it’s the fright along with the quiet moments that makes this series great. Vertigo has come to DC and damn is it good.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Avengers Academy #27 – Part one of the Runaways’ visit to Avengers Academy starts with a stereotypical fight and looks like the second part will be one too…. sigh.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Avengers: the Children’s Crusade #9 – After so much build-up. After so many delays, the final issue of this mini-series is kind of a let down. Not much really happens other than events being set into motion concerning Iron Lad and what happens to Vision, but really it’s all to neat and tidy when the vents leading up to it and depicted during were anything but.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7

Batman: Detective Comics #7 – The story involving Penguin’s Casino is over and I’m all mixed up as to what the hell is going on. Too many Batman comics with not enough distinction. The stories seem to blur together a bit and that’s not a good thing.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Batwing #7 – We find out the horrific thing the Kingdom did and really, it’s impact just didn’t hit me. But.. the fight heads to Gotham. What’s it say that Batwing has to run to the other “white” Batman and friends to solve his issue? Doesn’t really make the character stand on his own….

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

the Defenders #4 – The first arc is over, but that doesn’t mean the story is over. There’s a dream machine and Strange doesn’t know what it does and how it works. The issue really focuses on Strange and his history and a lot of potential of what the story could be. Lots of hints of excellence, but it doesn’t quite work for me.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Fairest #1 – Spinning out of Fables, what ever happened to Sleeping Beauty? Ali Baba is the Prince of Thieves in search of treasure and this first issue harkens back to the quality of early Fables comics. So good.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Hell Yeah #1 – It’s the last generation of heroes and there was a lot of buzz about this book and there’s a reason. It’s so good, Hell Yeah lives up to it’s name. The comic has great art and the story has me very interested. Such a solid first issue that shows why Image is one of the most buzzed about publishers.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

The Manhattan Projects #1 – Jonathan Hickman’s latest series is so interesting involving the Manhattan Project and how that was really a front. The ideas are so out there as expected, Hickman knocks it out of the park with this first issue. The art is interesting and not quite to my liking, but overall the series is a great read and absolute buy.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 9

Night Force #1 – What the fuck did I just read? This is really only for hardcore fans of whatever came before.

Story: 6 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.25

Rachel Rising #6 – Wow. A slow burn of a horror series that seems to only get better with each issue. I really wish more people were praising the series because it deserves the mass exposure a certain other horror comic series is getting.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Ralph Wiggum Comics #1 – The things that come out of Ralph’s mouth are some of the best things ever said on The Simpsons. He’s easily one of my favorite characters. I was giddy when I heard about this series and it’s as funny and innocent as I expected. I had a smile on my face the entire time and was laughing out loud. So much potential, so much fun.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 8.75

Red Lanterns #7 – Atrocitus still searches for Krona so Bleez decides to take the Red Lanterns on a mission. Then there’s the Red Lantern of Earth, who of course lashes out and fights Guy Gardner. For all good there is, there’s also so much bad…

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Stormwatch #7 – The series is so close to being something great, but it just doesn’t quite do it for me. I’m still reading hoping it’ll get there. It shows improvement, but still not there yet.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Swamp Thing #7 – The Green is under assault by the Rot and Alec must choose what he’ll do. Does he become the Swamp Thing or does he let the Rot win. Here’s what we’ve been waiting for… the decision.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #8 – Miles and his uncle have a talk while the Scorpion is after the Prowler. Miles is still dealing with his new role as others are adjusting to the news of a new Spider-Man.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Uncanny X-Men #8 – The Tabula Rasa story is over and I’m sure that’s not the last we’ll see of it. Overall a poor follow up to X-Force’s story that created it, but interesting concepts. The art is still very uneven.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Venom #14 – The battle in Vegas is over thankfully… such a bad story arc. Here’s hoping the series gets back on track.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Villains for Hire #4 – And with that, a good concept comes to an end. So sad as the Heroes and Villains concept had a ton of potential and the Heroes version was a lot of fun. This ending was a bit convoluted, but still entertaining. We’ll see if there’s any lasting impact to this all. I hope there is.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Winter Soldier #3 – Not as quite good as Cap stories of the past, the series is slowly finding it’s own voice and coming together. Bucky and Widow have to break into the Latverian Embassy to have a chat with Von Doom after figuring out who is behind all the activity they’re tracking. There’s a lot of action here, but the comic stands out when it slows down and focuses on the characters.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Wolverine #302 – Wolverine struggles against mind control, what a shock. His battle with the Hand continues and gets noticed by the Hand’s leader Wilson Fisk… The story is ok, but the art is sub-par.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 7.25

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #3 – And the point to this miniseries is? I really need to learn to not buy these.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

X-Men #26 – Wow is the art bad in this issue. Storm looks anorexic in the majority of panels. The story is so-so, but really, I kind of hoped someone would stake Jubilee and get this story arc over with.

Story: 7 Art: 6 Overall: 6.75

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 2/22/12

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Brett

Getting closer to catching up with reviews….

All-Star Western #6 – The mystery of the abducted children is solved as Hex and Arkham’s adventure comes to a close. Hex is now heading to New Orleans which should be fun and interesting. The series so far has been decent and I’ve enjoyed it being tied together with the modern DC universe, a nice touch.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

American Vampire #24 – We get more of a background of how events got to where they are. I’m loving the setting, action and how this arc is plotted out. Solid stuff and I’d expect no less from Scott Snyder.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Aquaman #6 – Mera goes food shopping, and things progress as you’d expect. The story is predictable, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

Avengers Academy #26 – We find out who and sort of why Reptil was sent back from the future, and it’s not what I expected. The series hasn’t always been great, but it’s moving in the right direction to get there. Getting better with each issue.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Batman: The Dark Knight #6 – Bane is back and I can’t say I like this pumped up version compared to what we last saw in Secret Six. This is just a hulking behemoth with no thought or depth compared to a rather complex character that grew from the 1 dimensional character he sprung from.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7

Captain America & Bucky #627 -The story is cool in a retro sort of way, but that’s how he takes down Captain America?! With a hug?!

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Chew #20 – Olive Chu goes on a mission and learns more about her abilities. As usual, the story is over the top and so much fun. This series is a must buy for every.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Fantastic Four #603 – The Fantastic Four and Galactus take on the Mad Celestials as the story continues to come together. What’s been years in the making is finally coming to a close and the big picture is clearer.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall:8

The Flash #6 – The new Captain Cold? Really don’t like. The story though is ok and always great art.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7

Green Lantern: New Guardians #6 – Interesting concepts, but not the best execution. Lots of potential here that’s not being met yet.

Story: 6.75 Art:7.5 Overall: 6.75

I, Vampire #6 – The story is amazing and just full of holy shit moments. This is one of the best series to come out of DC’s reboot.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75verall: 8.75

Justice League Dark #6 – Six issues to just get to this point… sigh. I’m really only reading this for the I, Vampire crossover. So much potential..

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

The Mighty Thor #11 – The trolls attack as Loki figures out what’s going on and their plan is revealed. Just in time for the new Asgard to launch too.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

New Mutants #38 – Doug visits the island where he died. If you’re not a long time fan of the New Mutants, you probably won’t care, just like me.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Secret Avengers #23 – Venom joins the team which doesn’t go over so well. Is it just me or is Hawkeye way more dickish in this series? Still, the series is finally finding a voice of it’s own, took long enough.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Teen Titans #6 – Licking their wounds after the fight with Superboy, there’s a fight that seems to be pointless as others work to help Kid Flash. Oh yeah, a mystery is thrown out there too. Not a bad series, but like the rest of the DC reboots, it’s losing my interest.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7 – General Krang needs Splinter and Stockman sends Mousers to go fetch him. The series continues to be awesome in every way.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #7 – The fact he’s Spider-Man hits Miles as he heads out to see the extent of his power. At the same time his uncle is up to something…. The series still has a lot of fun to it, even though the art isn’t quite as solid as it once was.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Uncanny X-Force #22 – I thought the Otherworld setting was bad enough, now Weapon III is thrown into the mix. This great series has dropped in quality quickly. I can’t wait for this story arc to be over with.

Story: 6 Art: 6 Overall: 6

Venom #13.3 – Wow, is this story bad. The fact that it’s weekly is just hurting the wallet too. There was some hope this would be a good event, but can’t say it’s anything knew that hasn’t been seen before. This great series has gone off the rails.

Story: 6 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6

Wolverine & The X-Men #6 – Wolverine is trying to get money for the school, folks are trying to help Kitty out and Kitty is trying to save herself. So many different stories and all of it pretty damn fun. It’s not quite as solid as it’s been, but still an entertaining and original story arc.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

X-Men #25 – The X-Men and vampires holding Jubliee meet up and of course fight due to a misunderstanding… how original. Then something sort of original happens. Still, not a great plot. I wish someone would just stake Jubliee and get rid of the character.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

X-Men: Legacy #262 – The battle with Exodus continues and they stop to talk during the middle of it, cause that’s smart. The story is the typical battle, nothing original really and the art isn’t up to snuff for me.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

Around the Tubes

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Brett

Around the Blogs:

Bleeding Cool – Grant Morrison, Darick Robertson, Mark Millar, Frank Quitely, Steve Niles, Howard Chaykin,Tony Harris, Scott Morse, Brian Wood, Ming Doyle, Nick Spencer, Riley Rossmo Announcements At Image Expo – Lots of news coming out of Image Expo.

The Beat – More Scenes From Image Expo – Guess I should have gone.

The Beat – How Many Pages of a Digital Comic Get Read In One Sitting? – Interesting info.

Around the Tubes Reviews:

CBR – Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #7

CBR – Wolverine & The X-Men #6

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 1/18/12

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Brett

Getting closer to being caught up with reviews….

Avenging Spider-Man #3 – So much fun and entertaining. The art is fantastic and the story got me laughing. If this is what all Spider-Man comics are like I definitely am missing something. Everything clicks here.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

the Avengers #21 – Norman Osborn takes on this team as well and kicks the crap out of them. Not a stand alone issue, it’s just a small sliver of the bigger story.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Batman #5 – The story has Batman captured by the Court of Owls and he’s being broken down mentally. The story is interesting, but mix it with the presentation and you have the best single issue so far this year. Absolutely amazing in it’s presentation and package.

Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10

Captain Atom #5 – Captain Atom is struggling with who he is and what he can do. He flies around and fights a thing. The art is still solid, but the story is not quite as good as previous issues.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Chew #23 – As usual, the comic had me roaring with laughter. So twisted and so entertaining at the same time. There’s so much win in this one issue. One of the most unique comics on the market and a must read for everyone every month.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

Daredevil #8 –

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #5 – Deadman stands up for himself and holds all the cards. Will he be able to get out of the quests he must live through? The story is a decent ending, but overall, not sure what I think of the series as a whole. I think I’d rather have an anthology with shorter stories.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.75

Fables #113 – Speaking of short stories…. this one has a bunch of lessons to be learned with various short stories acting as the entertainment. It’s a break from the usual plot line, but that takes away from a rather complicated story. It’s a not needed distraction from the usual story.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Generation Hope #15 – Hope is standing up for Sebastian Shaw as others on the island don’t really like that there’s some mutants who are treated better than others. Overall, an ok issue.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Fear Itself: The Fearless #7 – A lot of fighting and a big twist I didn’t see coming. Now I’m interested in seeing where this goes.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25

Green Lantern Corps. #5 – We get the story behind the Keepers as Guy puts together a team to take them on. Lots going on in the Green Lantern world and a lot of history being revealed.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

The Invincible Iron Man #512 – Tony is dealing with his issues as so many people are out to get him. On top of that a war is breaking out he needs to help stop. The series isn’t quite as good as it was pre-Fear Itself, but it’s still damn good.

Story: 8 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Moon Knight #9 – Moon Knight takes on a big baddie as his mind continues to shatter. It’s awesome cutting back and forth between the fight and his preparation and that ending is awesome.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

New Mutants #36 – The team fights a being from another world and I yawn.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

Nightwing #5 – Um, what the hell did I read. There’s some ok stuff, but the story with a demon falls flat.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.75

Supergirl #5 – Supergirl heads to Krypton to get answers. The story is ok, and doesn’t have quite the emotional impact it should, but there’s some great art at points. There’s definite quality here, it’s a series that’s trying to find it’s role right now.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Superior #7 – And that’s the end. With one hell of a fight scene and a rather touching post fight wrap up, Mark Millar shows he doesn’t have to dip to the lowest level to tell a good story. The series is great and I can’t wait to see this on the big screen, should be one hell of a movie because it’s one hell of a comic.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

Thunderbolts #169 – The team is now in Camelot times. The story is ok, but there’s something about the time travel arc that just doesn’t click with me. The story is good, I’d imagine many will like it, but I’d rather have them in the present and move on with the story of the team dealing with their being on the run.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6 – I still dig this series as Miles Morales deals with being the new Spider-Man. His uncle heads to Mexico and there’s a lot of foreshadowing. The art takes a dip, but the story and the enthusiasm that oozes from it is so much fun.

Story: 8.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8.25

Uncanny X-Force #20 – Hmmm, so much I want to praise and so much wrong. The series is very much deep in “X” continuity with a concept only hardcore fans will enjoy. The story has Fantomex put on trial and the team needing to go save him in Otherworld. There’s a lot that’s good, the team interaction and ideas, and lots that’s wrong, the story is a bit muddled. Not a good start for the next story arc.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Uncanny X-Men #5 – The fallout from Archangel’s decent into madness is being investigated and there’s a lot that’s interesting here. The art doesn’t fit at times, nor does some of the characters’ statements. It’s good though, better than what’s come before. That ending was interesting, not sure what to expect.

Story: 8 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8

Venom #12 – We find out what Venom is supposed to steal and he loses his shit when it becomes clear. Lots of fighting all to get him to a different spot and in Vegas. We’ll see where the next arc takes him, this one started out solid, but ended a bit flat.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.25

Wonder Woman #5 – What the hell did I just read? The story is off, the art is off. Something just didn’t sit right with me this issue. Not the best it’s been in the past. I know this creative team can do better, we’ve seen it in the four previous issues.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Around the Tubes

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Brett

It’s the weekend…. a long weekend. So yay!

Around the Blogs:

The Beat – Super Bowl champion NY Giants get their own graphic novel – I’ve got quite a few friends who’d dig this.

The Beat – Diamond’s Digital Distribution Program: The Actual Details – All in the fine details.

Comics Alliance – Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate Sues Dynamite Over Trademarks, ‘Pornographic’ Covers – It’s seriously taken them this long to notice?

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Ely Standard – Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

CBR – Daredevil #9

CBR – Road Rage #1

Primary Ignition – Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Vol. 1

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man – The Best New Character of 2011!

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Brett

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN – The Best New Character of 2011!

Its official, everyone can’t stop talking about Miles Morales – the all-new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man AND USA Today’s best new character of 2011! From the history making creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli & Justin Ponsor, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man was met with overwhelming critical acclaim and this February – you can experience Miles Morales’ break-out story in the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man By Brian Michael Bendis Vol. 1 Premiere Hardcover!

“I love Miles. I just adore him. But the real gift is that every day somebody gets a hold of me to tell me how much they love him too,” explained Bendis. “The good news is we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet because Miles is about to discover so many things including some very hard lessons. Everyone can look forward to some very powerful moments that will define him as a human being…and as a super hero.”

Once you’re all caught up – jump on board the next great arc of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man as red-hot artist Chris Samnee joins Brian Michael Bendis & Justin Ponsor in Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #6, available now in stores and on the Marvel Comics app! Then, the team introduces Miles to a world of hurt as an all-new Scorpion makes his debut in the pages of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #7 and we have your first look at the issue!

Love the all-new Ultimate Comics Spider-Man? Join the conversation on Twitter with #MilesMorales.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN BY BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS VOL. 1 PREMIERE HC (DEC110727)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by SARA PICHELLI
Colors by JUSTIN PONSOR
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
ON SALE – 2/15/12

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #6 (NOV110515)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by CHRIS SAMNEE
Colors by JUSTIN PONSOR
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
ON SALE NOW!

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #7 (DEC110626)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by CHRIS SAMNEE
Colors by JUSTIN PONSOR
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
FOC – 1/30/12, ON SALE – 2/22/12

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 12/21/11

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Brett

It’s the second last week of comics for the year. What was worth it? Find out below! A bit late, but better than never.

Avengers #20 – Osborn and his band have come out of the woodwork and get the Avengers off their game. As they attempt to kick up some leads, Osborn has some other plans. The story is really just a sliver of what’s going on as there’s more in the other Avengers title. Overall though, it feels like a solid threat for them to face and it’s pretty entertaining so far.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Batman #4 – Bruce and Dick have a conversation and we learn some earlier detective work Bruce did concerning the Court of Owls. Overall, these first four issues are a solid start and mystery that seems worthy of Batman and it’s a nice beginning for new and old fans alike.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

The Bionic Man #5 – It’s a new Bionic Man for a new century and Steve Austin has a whole new bag of tricks. Austin also meets his nemesis. It’s Bionic Man 1.0 versus Bionic Man 2.0, fight! The action is great, tech is cool, story and art top notch. I was never a big fan of the television show, but Kevin Smith and Phil Hester have done here like they’ve done for the Green Hornet, got me interested in an updated and fun property.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Captain Atom #4 – Captain Atom still attempts to figure out his role and tries on a military one for a bit. There’s also a bad guy moving around, looks like we have the first villain, whatever it is. The series is unique and I think amazing to look at. The art and coloring is so cool. Definitely a series I’m happy came out of DC’s shake up.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Daken: Dark Wolverine #18 – Daken seeks out the Runaways for help as the series begins to wind down. Daken’s battle with Roston continues, but the art seems to have dropped a bit. Sad this series never really took off, because when it was firing on all cylinders it was quite good.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Daredevil #7 – It’s a Christmas issue as Daredevil takes some kids out on a field trip, but of course that can’t go right. The art is fantastic and story pretty good. It’s a good single issue to check out to see what the buzz is all about. Mark Waid has made this one of the top series that Marvel is putting out.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #4 – Boston Brand wants to know the point of it all and to figure that out he has a chat with the Son of the Morningstar. This issue is one long philosophical debate about the meaning of life, death and our relationship to God. If you’re interested in those things, it’s a top notch issue that leaves you with more questions.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Fables #112 – In this Christmas theme issue, Rose Red must decide what type of avatar of hope she’s to become as she travels around A Christmas Carol style. There’s a lot set up here in an issue that for most would just seem like a holiday tie-in. The series is a slow build, and the latest arc is just getting under way.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Fantastic Four #601 – Wow, this issue puts the epic in galactic. The Kree decide to annihilate Earth, the Inhumans are pissed and Johnny Storm is in control of the Annihilation Wave. Jonathan Hickman has been leading up to this for what seems to be like years and it’s been completely worth it. Absolutely jaw dropping and exciting.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Fear Itself: The Fearless #5 – Um, that was a bit easy. Crossbones gets yet another hammer, this one was ridiculously easy to get. The follow up to Marvel’s stinker even Fear Itself, is turning out not much better.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Generation Hope #14 – The team finds Sebastian Shaw and fight some really random enemy that’s not fleshed out at all. It might have been just better to have them find the “new light” and deal with Pakastani military, especially with what’s going on. Overall, just ok.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Green Lanterns Corps. #4 – The Corps. has had to retreat and try to figure out what they’re up against when a being decides to help them out. Looks like this enemy might be part of a much bigger storyline. Can’t say I dig the eventual reveal as to what they sort of are, but it’s all pretty interesting.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

the Invincible Iron Man #511 – All hell is breaking loose for Stark. It’s gotten out about his drinking, he’s dealing with getting the crap beat out of him and Stark Resilient is under assault as well. Matt Fraction keeps up the heat and the series is running strong after it’s slight distraction from Marvel’s summer event. He’s used that to make Stark’s life even crazier and set up more obstacles for him. Just excellent.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Justice League #4 – The team continues to get together as Cyborg gets rolling. It’s just a slice of the bigger story and doesn’t stand on it’s own, but there’s a lot here to enjoy. Darkseid makes his appearance and we learn their goal (but can’t say I generally like it). The team dynamic is getting there though. As a single issue, it’s a skip if you haven’t read the previous three but it’s good as part of the bigger storyline.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.5

New Mutants #35 – It’s the New Mutants versus a band with powers. Um yeah… can’t say the series is getting me really pumped.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Nightwing #4 – Barbara Gordon pays a visit to Dick and they take on a bad guy trying to sell some microchips. The story is ok, but it’s really about the interaction with Babs and Dick. The rest you can skip.

Story: 7 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7

Supergirl #4 – Supergirl is captured and is still figuring out her new world and powers. The story is pretty good to start off the series and the fish out of water aspect is a nice twist. She doesn’t know who Superman is, what happened to her world or why she’s on Earth, all of it creates a mystery that’s entertaining and makes me want to stick around.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 – An interesting story that flashes back and forth between the modern day and feudal Japan. The stories I guess are tied together, but I don’t quite pick it up. There’s also a nice Christmas theme about it all as well, with the Turtles finally getting something we’ve been waiting to see. A perfect jumping on point for new folks.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Thunderbolts #167 – The Thunderbolts, through time! I’m just not feeling this storyline, though their arc dealing with Jack the Ripper is done with. There’s nothing bad about the comic, but can’t say I’m really enjoying it either.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5 – Miles is wearing Peter’s costume and some folks think that’s a bit disrespectful. It’s Miles Morales versus Nick Fury, Spider-Woman, Hawkeye and Iron Man… sort of. The group has to decide what to do with the new Spider-Man and Fury has a bit of a chat. I’ll admit by the end I had a smile on my face. Instead of disrespecting what’s come before Miles and writer Brian Michael Bendis are honoring what’s come before.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Uncanny X-Force #19 – With the epic story closed, where does X-Force go from here. There’s Genesis to deal with and that leads to Logan and Hank having a tense conversation. There’s also now a goal for X-Force. It’s going to be the fighting force to make sure the kids don’t have to. Through evil deeds, good may come. There’s also the question as to why Fantomex did what he did. That’s discussed and turns pretty interesting as well. Rick Remender has given us the best “X” series hands down.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Venom #11 – Hmm, that was certainly interesting. Jack O’Lantern and Venom are doing the comic book version of a buddy road trip and a good chunk of the comic has the two of them in a diner. That’s the part that just blew me away. Discussion of Jack O’Lantern’s origin is just twisted and that ending made my jaw drop. This is a solid issue when it slows down and focuses on the characters and what makes them.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

Wolverine #20 – Wait, what the hell just happened? How is HE back!?

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Wolverine & the X-Men #3 – The team continues to fight Krakoa and Sauron and Wendigo as the Hellfire Club watches. The issue is kinetic fun and just over the top. I found myself laughing and enjoying the action. The characters are fun and entertaining. Out of the two factions now the “X” series has split, Wolverine’s has the edge.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.5

Wonder Woman #4 – Wonder Woman gets away and Hera pays a visit to Paradise Island. It’s all very interesting backed up with some fantastic artwork. Wonder Woman has become one of the best series of DC’s new 52.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Factor #229 – Um, what the hell is going on? Looks like Madrox is being pulled to different worlds as other versions of himself dies. It could be interesting or it could make no sense, like it does right now.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

X-23 #19 – The art is absolutely fantastic, story… not so much.

Story: 6.5 Art: 9 Overall: 7