Tag Archives: x-men legacy

X-Men: Regenesis – Choose Your Team!

Posted on by

Official Press Release

X-MEN: REGENESIS – Choose Your Team!

After the cataclysmic events of X-Men: Schism, all of mutantkind will be forced to make the biggest decision of their lives. What team will you choose?

Join the conversation on Twitter with #XMenRegenesis!

WOLVERINE & THE X-MEN #1 (AUG110653)
Written by JASON AARON
Art & Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
Variant Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
FOC – 10/3/11, ON SALE – 10/26/11

X-MEN LEGACY #259 (SEP110604)
Written by MIKE CAREY
Art by KHOI PHAM
Cover by CLAY MANN
Variant Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
NOVEMBER 2011

UNCANNY X-FORCE #19
Written by RICK REMENDER
Art by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
Variant Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
DECEMBER 2011

X-FACTOR #230
Written by PETER DAVID
Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Variant Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
JANUARY 2012

X-Men Regenesis NB 2

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 8/3/11 and 8/10/11

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

Two weeks down of reviews and two more to go.  Expect some more later today and hopefully I’ll be totally caught up by week’s end.

Alpha Flight #3 – Alpha Flight is on the run and this series at this point would be ho-hum if it weren’t for the fact I’m interested in seeing what the Unity party is really up to.  The limited series is close to the half-way point and so far, it’s ok, but hasn’t made it’s case to be an ongoing comic book.  The art too is off at times with odd positions of the bodies and art that just doesn’t do it for me.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #3 – Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s offshoot comic about Nazi Vampires just keeps getting better and better expanding the world we already know.  Amazing stuff and I can’t recommend it enough.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Avengers Academy #17 – There’s parts of this comic I liked and a lot I didn’t.  The art is inconsistent, and overall the comic feels like the “B” coming to the other Avengers “A.”  I know the series gets a lot of praise, but I was a much bigger fan of it’s previous incarnations, and it hasn’t quite lived up to the potential of it’s first few issues.

Story: 7 Art: 6.75 Overall: 7

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #522 – I had my doubts when I first saw the American Panther sketches, but using Fear Itself to bring back the Hate Monger has worked really well, mainly because it doesn’t deal with the terrible story that Fear Itself is, and instead treats it as a backdrop.  The last story arc was ok, but this one has kicked it up a lot dealing with hate, fear and immigration, a lot of issues being debated today.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Booster Gold #47 – The art is my issue with this particular issue.  It’s very, very off.  The story is ok and there’s some cool moments, especially the ending, but the series clearly went out with a whimper and not the bang I’d hope for DCnU.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

Criminal: The Last of The Innocent #3 – Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips latest entry in their noir comics is as amazing as you’d expect.  Instead of following the do-gooder who gets caught up in a bad situation the focus is on the bad guy.  It’s enough to inject massive life in a series that’s far and above the rest to begin with.  Absolutely  mastery.

Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10

Daken: Dark Wolverine #12 – Daken’s plan for the armored car robbery continues and that’d be just ok, but Daken is now having an issue with addiction, and that is getting interesting.  The character doesn’t get the respect he deserves and this series is proving why he stands apart and isn’t just a second rate Wolverine.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Deadpool #41 – Deadpool is still in the crazy asylum and the series, which has been having issues lately with quality, has bounced back for at least this one.  The art is back on track and I’m starting to like the move away from slapstick.  It’s a big improvement.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Fear Itself #5 – This summer event by Marvel has been underwhelming and this comic is the perfect example of the issues it has.  Thor dropping his usual speech, Spider-Man turning and running, and a simple solution when it comes to saving Ben Grimm.  There’s attempts at cool moments here and it all falls flat.

Story: 6 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.25

Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #2 – X-Force does it’s part in Fear Itself and I can’t say it adds anything to the storyline.  They’re on the move to stop the Purifiers who are trying to take advantage of the situation and not even art by Bianchi can save this mess of a comic that doesn’t need to exist.

Story: 6.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 6.75

Fear Itself: Wolverine #2 – Too many places at once is the issue of this not needed comic tie-in.  The art and character design is inconsistent and other than the parts with Wolverine’s girlfriend, I can’t say any of this is needed or important.  A clear cash-in that adds nothing to the story and in fact causes bigger issues with it.

Story: 6 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Flashpoint #4 – It’s the second to last issue of the event that’s forced DC to grow up.  In a five issue limited series DC comics has not only reshaped their entire universe, but they’ve also brought their comics into modern times.  The fourth issue moves the story along with some great moments and a cliffhanger for the fifth and final issue that makes me count down in anticipation of the next issue.

Story: 9 Art: 8.75 Overall: 9

Flashpoint: Batman – Knight of Vengeance #3 – As a single issue, I can’t say I’ve enjoyed this final one as much as the previous two, but as a whole, all three are a solid read.  This issue jumps back and forth between the past and present which fills in some of the blanks.  Overall a solid three issues, even though this is the weakest of the bunch.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #3 – A pretty cool ending to the three issue limited series that just fits the feel of a world ending.  The art is solid and story entertaining.  A solid comic overall and very good limited series.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 – An interesting comic, but the issue is it doesn’t wrap anything up, in fact it ends as an origin comic.  The story is ok, but nothing too special, but I do think the last quarter was much better than the first three fourths.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of The Ravager #3 – An interesting story that adds to the world of Flashpoint, but doesn’t add anything to the Flashpoint story.  It’s a decent three issues, but I can’t say I came away with having to read them at all.  Decent, but not great.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3 – Wow, did this third issue go off the rails.  There’s lots of twists and turns and even more that’s just not explained.  Why’s the doctor dressed as a mummy?  Why are they on horses when they had a plane?  Just such silliness that an ok idea crashes and burns in the end.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Flashpoint: Secret Seven #3 – Out of all of the books, this one is my least favorite.  I really don’t understand what was going on, and I honestly didn’t care to figure it all out.  The issue is too much backstory that if you didn’t know the characters, you didn’t know what was going on.

Story: 6 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Flashpoint: World of Flashpoint #3 – A pretty sappy ending.  The good about this series is it tied directly into the great Flashpoint story, but it didn’t add anything to it in the end, except show off a bit more of the world.  But, that’s about it, it’s a three issue glorified travel guide.  It’s not bad in anyway, but not really a must read.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Ghost Rider #2 – I’m still not quite sure what I think about this comic.  It’s not bad in any way, but also doesn’t quite grab me like I’d hope.  I’m sure die-hard Ghost Rider fans will appreciate it more, but to me, it’s missing that hook that gets me really excited.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Hero Comics 2011 – A comic book to benefit the Hero Initiative, it features work by some greats.  For $3.99 you get some awesome stories and it goes towards a good cause.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Heroes for Hire #10 – The once great series has been sidelined to deal with the underwhelming Marvel event Fear Itself.  The team is split between the chaos on the Raft and what’s going on at Yancy Street and neither of it is particularly entertaining.  This just slows down the momentum the series had.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Iron Man 2.0 #7.1 – If the point one comics are supposed to be a jumping on point for new readers, this didn’t achieve that.  Instead it’s just a continuation of the ongoing storyline which continues next issue.  So the question remains why does this comic exist and why wasn’t it just the eighth issue?  The issue is good in that it continues the Palmer Adley storyline, but, it doesn’t need to exist as a point one.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Irredeemable #28 – Plutonian is back and the world and The Paradigm react to his return.  But what happens to the people who lied when they said they’d protect you.  It’s an interesting issue and I have no idea what Mark Waid has in store next for this series.

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

Mega Man #4 – A cute ending that’s perfect for younger kids.  The story is entertaining and has enough nostalgia for adults to appreciate it.  It’s a decent first arc, but a bit rushed overall.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

Moon Knight #4 – Moon Knight and Echo check up on each other and have their first date, sort of.  The series is beyond solid taking Moon Knight’s crazy to a whole new level.  The series is fantastic with great writing and amazing art to match.  This should definitely be on your pull list.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

The New Avengers #15 – The issue’s focus is Squirrel Girl and her time during Fear Itself.  It’s really entertaining with a great voice to the story telling and solid artwork.  It might seem silly at first, but it’s a really good issue.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

New Mutants #29 – After a solid last issue, this one seems to run into the issues we’ve seen with Fear Itself tie-ins.  The story just seems out of place and the characterization is off.  Along with a new art style (which grew on me throughout the issue) the series seems to have swerved again.  This series gets a lot of praise and I’m still not quite sure why.  It’s not bad, but clearly the weakest of the “X” books.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Rachel Rising #1 – The first issue of Terry Moore’s new series brought with it a lot of buzz and I can see why.  It’s all tease though and I think I can see where it’s going, but not 100% sure.  There’s enough there though to get me to check out the next issue.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Secret Six #36 – So sad to see this series go.  It’s been a great ride and this final issue has so much going for it.  It’s not perfect, but it hits every note reminding us what made the series so special.  It’s been great, and unfortunately we won’t be seeing it in the relaunched DCnU.  Thank you Gail Simone for giving us thirty-six fantastic issues.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Severed #1 – Scott Snyder puts together another amazing horror series, which he’s shown he’s a master of.  This one also takes place at the early onset of the 20th century, a time period he seems to enjoy writing about.  We’re teased a lot and it’s more than enough to get me to check out the second issue.

Story: 9 Art: 8.75 Overall: 9

S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 – The series continues and I continue to scratch my head.  I want to like it, and the ideas seem very interesting, but to say I really understand what the hell is going on here is a lie.  This is one I know I need to go back and reread the entire thing through again.

Story: 7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.5

Supreme Power #3 – A series that continues to mix super heroes and politics, I’ve been finding what it’s been doing is interesting.  There’s only one more issue left in this volume, and I’m a bit perplexed how it’s going to wrap up everything that needs to be.  It’s a very interesting book though and I can’t wait to see what the fourth issue holds.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Thunderbolts #161 – The team is focused on saving Chicago, and overall the story is decent with some good interaction between the characters.  I can’t say it’s great though.  But, a fun read.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

the Unwritten #28 – Huh, is really all I can say.  The comic series about stories and myths begins to set it’s sites on Biblical tales.  How this comic didn’t cause more of an uproar, I’ll never know.  But it’s continuing to bring up interesting points in ways I can just barely comprehend.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

Vengeance #2 – I seriously don’t get this series.  It’s supposed to focus on the next generation of heroes and villains, but we’ve seen this exact same story done before, and better.  I’m waiting for the big reveal, but so far, pretty unimpressed.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.75

War of the Green Lanterns Aftermath #2 – The war is over and Sinestro still has a ring on his finger.  The corps is rocked and everyone is in doubt.  If anything this is an attempt to bridge the new Green Lantern series we’ll be seeing in DCnU.  It’s interesting and does it’s best to set up what’s coming next.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

Wolverine #13 – One more issue and this story arc is over thank god.  Wolverine continues to run the gauntlet as we get to see the pain he’s caused from the view of his victims.  Yawn.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

X-Factor #223 – The story focusing on Rahne’s child continues and hopefully it ends soon.  I can’t say this is the best of stories involving this team lately.  It has it’s moments, but right now, it’s only ok.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

X-Men #15.1 – I’m so confused as to what the point of these point one comics are.  I thought they’re supposed to be easy entry points to get new readers pumped and interesting about the comic and characters?  This is a self contained story, but it has nothing to do with what makes the X-Men interesting.  An utter failure.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

X-Men; Legacy #253 – How come Magneto’s helmet keeps coming going?  Where does he put it when he’s not wearing it.  Other than that weird art issue, the story is cool and we get to the meat of what we want.  The return of Havok and Polaris and Rachel.

Story: 8.25 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8

X-23 #13 – Laura, meet Spider-Man and the FF, FF and Spider-Man this is Laura.  While that’s interesting and has potential, it’s the hint we might see the NYX crew back that gets me more excited.

Story: 7.25 Art: 7 Overall: 7.25

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 7/27/11 Part 2

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

I’m still a bit behind in my reviews.  Here’s the second part of reviews from releases weeks ago.  Hopefully I’ll be caught up this week.

Green Hornet #17 – Phil Hester continues to move this action packed comic forward.  It’s some great pulp action that shows how bad the movie was.  Too bad quality like this couldn’t represent the Hornet on the big screen.  Tons of fun and a definite read for fans of Batman or pulp hero comics.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.25

Incorruptible #20 – This series along with it’s sister title is about taking the villain and hero dynamic and archetypes and breaking them down.  What’s interesting with this issue is that so common villain soliloquy is used and of course things go wrong for the bad guy.  For a series that makes us rethink about the typical super hero comic, in this issue it falls upon such a common writing tool.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Kirby Genesis #2 – This series is for Kirby die-hards.  The ideas are very much him and the designs mimic his style quite well, but overall, I give it a big meh.  It’s interesting but a bit too much too quickly I think.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

The Mighty Thor #4 – Thor vs. Silver Surfer, Odin vs. Galactus, it’s big battles here.  But, when does this take place?  Pre-Fear Itself it doesn’t make sense, but post may not have a Thor around.  So confusing…. but still entertaining.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

New Mutants #28 – To me, this is the quality I expect from the series.  Faced with doubt and the after affects of everything they’ve been through an outside shrink is brought in to help them deal.  It’s a solid story, worth the read.  Here’s hoping the quality keeps up.

Story: 8.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8

Secret Avengers #15 – An issue that gets very meta discussing “death” in comic books.  Even though it has Fear Itself on the cover, it’s more a statement about the recent deaths of comic book characters and the reaction by the public.  A very interesting read if you take it that way.

Story: 8.75 Art: 7 Overall: 8.5

Secret Warriors #28 – Not a thing I would change, a perfect ending to the series.  There’s so much hope, so much advice, and so much left out there.  It’s a shame it couldn’t continue.  But a big thanks goes out to the team that brought twenty eight pages of awesome.  Bravo.

Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.75

Uncanny X-Force #12 – Wow, that was certainly interesting.  A hell of an issue that really dives deep into the characters and focuses on them instead of the action, and then wham, one hell of an ending.  So, so good.  The art surrounding Wolverine was a bit off and inconsistent, but otherwise, a solid issue.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

Venom #5 – After all of the action, all of the swinging around, this issue quiets it down and instead focuses on Flash the man.  It’s interesting that the two books in this batch by Rick Remender focused not on the action and instead focused on characters.  It’s a solid book about a man who’s haunted by the past which is guiding his present.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Factor #222 – The issue with Rhane’s unborn child continues.  I can’t say I’m too crazy about the plot, but it has it’s moments and a few times the art is really good.  There’s a style that sneaks through that’s solid, but overall the art is ok.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7

X-Men #15 – Overall a decent story arc that introduces a pretty cool villain.  It seems a bit odd to have such a solid story before a big event, and it’s a bit choppy with Schism occurring now.  But as a whole, I’ll give it high marks.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Men: Legacy #252 – Legion seeks out Styx with an ending I’m not quite sure I understand, but there’s clearly more going on involving Rogue, so we’ll see where this series goes next.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

X-Men: Schism #2 – The major shake up to the “X” universe continues as the world reacts to terrorist acts and the X-Men must assemble to take on antiquated Sentinels.  Meanwhile the Hellfire Club continues their movies.  This is the event us X-Men fans have been waiting for.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Around the Tubes

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

The weekend is here and I plan on catching up on three weeks worth of books and begin the backlog of reviews.  There’s still quite a few cons coming up, so planning begins for those as well.  While I do that, what are folks plan for the weekend?  While you contemplate that, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

The Mary Sue – Womanthology Sets the Record Straight On Where Its Funds Are Going – One take on the controversy.

The Beat – Womanthology: $100k may go to help start a new comics imprint — UPDATED – Another take on the controversy.

The Beat – One Piece set record with 2 million sold in 4 days – See, sales can be good.

ICv2 – Wahlberg Ready to Strap on ‘2 Guns’ – Another comic movie!

Ars Technica – Spoilers don’t spoil anything – An interesting article about spoilers and if they really ruin things.

Monthly/Quarterly Sales:

ICv2 – ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #666 Tops July Sales

ICv2 – Top 300 Comics Actual–July 2011

ICv2 – Top 300 Graphic Novels Actual–July 2011

Around the Tubes Reviews:

IGN – The Amazing Spider-Man #667

CBR – Amazing Spider-Man #667

IGN – American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #3

IGN – Artifacts #9

IGN – Batgirl #24

IGN – Batman and Robin #26

IGN – Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #522

IGN – Booster Gold #47

IGN – Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #3

IGN – Daken: Dark Wolverine #12

IGN – Deadpool #41

IGN – Fear Itself #5

CBR – Fear Itself #5

IGN – Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #2

IGN – Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #3

IGN – Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3

IGN – Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #3

IGN – Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #3

IGN – Ghost Rider #2

IGN – Hellboy: The Fury #3

CBR – Hellboy: The Fury #3

IGN – The Incredible Hulks #634

IGN – Morning Glories #11

IGN – The New Avengers #15

IGN – PunisherMAX #16

IGN – The Red Wing #2

IGN – Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #1

IGN – Spider-Island: Deadly Foes #1

IGN – Ultimate Comics: Fallout #5

IGN – The Unwritten #28

IGN – Vengeance #2

IGN – War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2

IGN – X-Men #15.1

IGN – X-Men Legacy #253

Paste Magazine – Comic Book & Graphic Novel Round-Up (8/10/11)

IGN – Comic Book Reviews for 8/10/11

Around the Tubes – It’s Friday, Friday…

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

So, I care that it’s Friday just because that means I can sleep in tomorrow and attempt to catch up on the lack of sleep from San Diego Comic-Con and also gear up for next week’s Gen Con.  While you were slaving away, working for the man, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

The Mary Sue – The Hard Numbers Say There are Less Female Characters in the DCnU As Well – Some good number crunching.

Comics Alliance – Answering Dan DiDio: The Problem With Having Only 1% Female Creators at DC Comics – While I generally agree with DiDio that you want quality writers and artists no matter their race, age, gender, etc., some of the choices are questionable and DC is in the difficult task to explain themselves and at the same time not diminish the creative teams chosen.

Con Coverage:

The Beat – Comic-Con 2011: Perception vs. Reality

The Beat – SDCC, A Look Back: The Beat

The Beat – The Comic-Con Virgin Diaries: Ali C. — Final Report

Around the Tubes Reviews:

IGN – Action Comics #903

IGN – The Amazing Spider-Man #666

IGN – American Vampire #17

IGN – Avengers Academy #16

IGN – Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #2

IGN – Captain America and Bucky #620

IGN – Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #2

IGN – DC Retroactive: Justice League of America – The 70’s #1

IGN – DC Retroactive: Superman – The 70’s #1

IGN – Detective Comics #880

IGN – Fear Itself: The Worthy #1

IGN – FF #7

IGN – Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #2

IGN – Flashpoint: Kid Flash – Lost #2

IGN – Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #2

IGN – Flashpoint: Project Superman #2

IGN – Green Arrow #14

IGN – Green Lantern Corps #62

IGN – Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #12

IGN – The Incredible Hulks #633

IGN – Intrepids #5

IGN – Invincible #81

IGN – Justice Society of America #53

IGN – Last Mortal #3

IGN – The Mighty Thor #4

IGN – Nordguard Book One: Across Thin Ice

IGN – Secret Avengers #15

IGN – Ultimate Comics: Fallout #3

IGN – Uncanny X-Force #12

IGN – Venom #5

IGN – Wolverine/Deadpool: The Decoy #1

IGN – Wonder Woman #613

IGN – X-Men Legacy #252

IGN – X-Men: Schism #2

IGN – Comic Book Reviews for 7/27/11

Catching Up on Reviews, Part 9 — X-Men and X-Men Legacy

Posted on by

X-Men #8 (Marvel) – Chris Bachalo’s stylized art is near perfect in this issue and Victor Gischler’s story is both action-packed and a touching story about youth and alienation, making it one of the more thought-provoking stories from Marvel in the last year or so.

Story: 9.75 Art: 9.75 Overall: 9.75

X-Men #9 (Marvel) – The strange thing is that in the early days when I first saw Bachalo’s art, I wasn’t a big fan, thinking it was a bit too anime-like for my tastes. The more I see it, though, the more I like it and I’m starting to think that he might be one of my favorite artists. This issue is just as good as the predecessors and this particular X-Men-Spider-Man team up is one of my favorites in recent years.

Story: 9.75 Art: 9.75 Overall: 9.75

X-Men #10 (Marvel) – Paco Medina joins Bachalo on art duties this issue and, while it is still quite good, it isn’t as good as Bachalo’s previous solo work. I’m sad to see the end of the Spider-Man crossover, although I will say that I’m not a huge fan of the characterization of Emma Frost during this arc. It seems consistent with past portrayals of her, but she’s still a bit to stereotypically “female” for a woman of such stature.

Story: 9.75 Art: 9.25 Overall: 9.5

X-Men #11 (Marvel) – Gischler’s side-story here with Professor X is a bit subpar and the art just isn’t that great. This is an exception for this series — an issue that is pretty weak.

Story: 6 Art: 5 Overall: 5.5

X-Men #12 (Marvel) – I really like Christopher Yost’s story here and, despite my normal disdain for retcons, this one works out pretty well. It fits and it makes sense. The art is split between two different artists based on the flashbacks and the present and Medina’s present art is the better of the two, although far from perfect. There are a few epic shots, though, that make it worthwhile, though.

Story: 9 Art: 7 Overall: 8

X-Men #13 (Marvel) – The Eternals-oriented story continues here with the same creative team and Yost and Medina do even better this time around, but I still don’t like Dalabor Talajic’s art much.

Story: 9.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8.25

X-Men #14 (Marvel) – Everyone’s work in this issue continues to improve and I’m even okay with most of Talajic’s art, although I think his weakness is really close-ups of people’s faces.

Story: 9.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Men #15 (Marvel) – After a really strong story about evolution and mutants, the ending is a bit of a let-down. Hopefully this will also end the split artist trend that had dominated recent issues. Can we get Bachalo back?

Story: 9 Art: 7 Overall: 8

X-Men Giant Size #1 (Marvel) – This annual is part of the Eternals-related storyline and it has the best art that Medina and Talajic did during the story and there is some epic art here. The story is still more-than-capably handled by Yost.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Men Legacy #245 (Marvel) – If there are two things I love more than the X-Men and post-apocalyptic stories, I don’t know what they are. It’s hard to think of anything I’d like more than a comic that combines the two. Over the years, the X-Men have given us a lot of post-apocalyptic things and Age of X is one of the better entries in a series of great stories.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

X-Men Legacy #246 (Marvel) – Clay Mann’s art isn’t my favorite, but it’s more than good enough and it’s appropriate to the Age of X story. Mike Carey’s writing is great, though, and I really like what he does with Scott Summers here, showing us what Scott would be like if he was just as bad-ass as he is now, but without the restraints he has as the leader of the mutant nation.

Story: 9.75 Art: 9.25 Overall: 9.5

X-Men Legacy #247 (Marvel) – Carey really goes a long way towards answering the question: “what’s better for mutants: isolation and protection or finding a way to live with humanity.” The idea of Moira McTaggert as a villain is quite interesting, too.

Story: 9.5 Art: 9 Overall: 9.25

X-Men Legacy #248 (Marvel) – Dealing with the aftermath of Age of X is handled well here by Mike Carey, although the story is, by necessity, a letdown. Jorge Molina’s art is a step down from what Mann was doing.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

X-Men Legacy #249 (Marvel) – I’ve never really liked the storylines that provided a romantic link between Rogue and Magneto and I really don’t think we need any more recaps of Magneto in Nazi Germany. I do, however, like the exploration of Legion as a character, since he is too powerful and has too much potential to be ignored as much as he has been over the years.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

X-Men Legacy #250 (Marvel) – In this giant-sized issue, Carey continues both the aftermath of Age of X and the tracking down of Legion’s escaped personalities. Neither story has great art (although neither has bad art, either) and the Legion story continues to be better than the Age of X aftermath. A reprint of an old New Mutants issue is here to remind me how much I never liked Bill Sienkiewicz’s art.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

X-Men Legacy #251 (Marvel) – Carey ramps up the intensity and quality of the Legion tale, but Koi Pham’s art is mixed in quality.

Story: 8.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.75

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 6/22/11

Posted on by

Bookmark and Share

It’s a thick stack of books dominated by some that made headlines.  Flashpoint and Fear Itself continue their march on our wallets.  What’s worth it, and what should you skip?  Find out below.

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #520 – It’s the Black Panther and Storm versus Kraven the Hunter.  The story was ok and there’s a decent resolution but overall the story left me wanting more, especially due to the fact Kraven has had some classic stories in the past.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.25

Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #1 – I know of the character John Constantine a bit and not really familiar with Swamp Thing at all, but this follow up to Brightest Day seems to fit the role of properly inducting the both of them into the DC universe.  The first issue is fun and interesting enough to make me want to check out the second issue.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Captain America #619 – The story of Bucky’s incarceration continues as his friends work on getting him out and figure out exactly what’s going on.  We find out what the Russians have been looking for and the transition of Steve Rogers becoming Cap again continues.  It hasn’t been the smoothing transition back with Fear Itself in full swing, but it at least makes sense in moving the story forward.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

Dark Horse Presents #2 – Dark Horse’s second issue continues the quality we saw in the first with a mix of styles both in stories and art and though not everything carries over from that first issue, it’s still high quality.  Some things work better than others, but it’s well worth the purchase.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Deadpool #39 – To me the series has dropped a bit in quality falling way too much in the slapstick side of things.  I prefer the X-Force Deadpool versus this one that just comes off like a goofball.  I think this is it for me.  I really haven’t enjoyed the series in a while.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.25

DMZ #66 – A self contained story focused on Zee who has played the role of second fiddle for most of the series.  Instead we get inside of her head as to why she saved Matty on that day and her thoughts on her role in the DMZ.  It’s a powerful story that just shows the amazing narrative of this series.  Sadly, it also means we’re heading into the final story arc of the series.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Fables #106 – It’s the end of the story involving Mister Dark which comes not with a bang, but much of a whimper.  A lot of the issue is left for reflection more than anything and while it’s solid, it also feels like something was missing.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #1 – Whatever happened to Kid Flash?  I’m pretty sure this is the future of the Flashpoint world and it’s pretty cool as the series sets up even further mysteries surrounding this new world.  The art is nice and gets you right into the action slowly revealing what’s going on.  As usual, a solid Flashpoint tie-in.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1 – We get a better sense of what’s going on with the Amazon’s new world as Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen get caught behind enemy lines.  The story is a little forced at times and there’s some potential here that’s hinted upon, but unfortunately can’t be followed up on.  Not the best of the Flashpoint tie-ins, but still better than a lot of what else is out there.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Flashpoint: Reverse Flash #1 – Wow and holy crap.  We get a real good sense as to what the Reverse Flash has been up to and this first issue just knocks it out of the park.  So evil, and so messed up, we get motivation, action and chills throughout.  Such a solid issue and I can’t wait to see what the rest of this three issue limited series has up it’s sleeve.

Story: 9 Art: 8.75 Overall: 9

Flashpoint: The Outsider #1 – While set in the world of Flashpoint, this first issue doesn’t initially seem to have a major impact in the overall story like other series.  Even so, it’s a great comic with a hard edge and a main character I’m hoping to see more of post DC relaunch/reboot.  Just a badass first issue.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

G.I. Joe: Cobra #2 – I’ve become a huge fan of all three G.I. Joe series as the action and consequences have kicked up from what I remembered.  All three series takes different looks at the leadership void in Cobra and the scrambling to fill it.  It’s a solid story and plot that seems rather relevant in today’s world.

Story: 8.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.25

Iron Man 2.0 #6 – The Immortal Weapons and War Machine are called in to take on two of the hammer wielders.  As expected the issue is a bit of a let down, but there’s  twist at the end that I’m interested in seeing where it leads.  A so-so issue that’s killing the momentum the series had by forcing it to tie into Fear Itself.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Mystery Men #2 – The second issue of the series is entertaining and fun and overall I think this five issue limited series will be a fun read, but there’s one moment in this issue that just comes out of the blue and seems really forced and a bit too convenient.  I think in the end this will be a good pulp read, but don’t think it’ll be Earth shattering.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Namor: The First Mutant #11 – And that’s a wrap for the series.  I can’t say it ever really lived up to it’s potential, but the finale has a decent ending to it.  There’s a lot of open threads and a lot is left on the table, but it’s good to see this series put out of it’s misery.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

New Mutants #26 – There’s a bunch that works here and also so much that doesn’t.  Overall this new direction isn’t feeling so much as new, as it’s what we’ve seen before.  The art is off and dialogue a bit unimpressive.  Here’s hoping the series gets a major shake up post “X” event.

Story: 7 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.75

Secret Avengers #14 – A Fear Itself tie-in that focuses on Valkyrie and how she got that role.  The story is predictable and doesn’t have the emotional oomph it should, a forgettable issue overall.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Thunderbolts #159 – Three stories and all are actually pretty good.  They involve different aspects of the escape from the Raft and all three are entertaining, which is not expected since they’re Fear Itself tie-ins.  A good read even on it’s own.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160 – There was a lot of media coverage and hype of this issue and I can say I was underwhelmed.  There was a way more emotional impact that could have been done but instead we get the vast majority of the issue being a so-so fight and then just a few panels dealing with Peter’s “death” and the reaction to it.  Maybe those more vested in the series would have enjoyed it.

Story: 7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.25

Wolverine #11 – This particularly back story as to why this person wants revenge on Wolverine is good, but overall the plot is pretty blah.  Add in some really odd art that looks like ink thumbprint smudges all over.  This Wolverine series hasn’t quite lived up to it’s past glory.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7.25

X-Men: Legacy #251 – The team takes on two more of Legion’s personalities and there’s some cool moments here.  Overall, the series is showing a lot of improvement with it’s new direction.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Around the Tubes

Posted on by

Bookmark and Share

It’s Friday, Friday, Friday…. Sorry, that never gets old.  But, while you were looking forward to the weekend, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

Bleeding Cool – Julia Ormond Wanted For The Man Of Steel – So, what’s the point a movie cast is too good looking?  I’m pretty sure this one is approaching that.

Con Coverage:

The Mary Sue – Marvel Among the Major Studios Not to Stage Movie Presentations at This Year’s Comic-Con

Bleeding Cool – Three New San Diego Comic Con Exclusives – Marksmen, Samurai’s Blood And Heavy Metal

Around the Tube Reviews:

IGN – Action Comics #902

IGN – Batman: Gates of Gotham #2

IGN – Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #520

IGN – Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #1

IGN – Captain America #619

IGN – Deadpool Vol. 4 #39

IGN – DMZ #66

IGN – Fables #106

IGN – Flashpoint: Lois Lane and the Resistance #1

IGN – Flashpoint: The Outsider #1

IGN – G.I. Joe Cobra #2

IGN – Green Arrow #13

IGN – The Incredible Hulks #631

IGN – Infestation: Outbreak #1

IGN – Iron Man 2.0 #6

IGN – Justice League of America #58

IGN – The Mighty Thor #3

IGN – Mystery Men #2

IGN –Secret Avengers #14

IGN – Sigil #4

IGN – Silver Surfer #5

IGN – The Spirit #15

IGN – Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #2

IGN – Superman #712

CBR – Superman #712

IGN – Thunderbolts #159

IGN – Ultimate Comics Avengers vs. New Ultimates #5

CBR – Ultimate Spider-Man #160

IGN – Wolverine #11

IGN – X-Men Legacy #251

IGN – Comic Book Reviews for 6/22/11

Around the Tubes

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

It’s a new week and the news has been interesting today, but nothing crazy like the last few weeks.  Here’s the news you might have missed while you caught up at work.

Con Coverage:

The Mary Sue – The New York Times Discusses Comic-Con, Expects Many Fewer Movie Presentations

Entertainment Weekly – Marvel might skip Comic-Con. Is this the beginning of the end for the Geek Era in Hollywood?

The Beat – Are movie studios finally over Comic-Con?

Bleeding Cool – Cowboys & Aliens To Get World Premiere At San Diego Comic-Con, Fans Welcome

Around the Tubes Reviews:

Comicsgirl – Life with Mr. Dangerous

CBR – Mystery Men #1

The Book Rat – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Book Addict – Storm Born Issues 1 and 2

CBR – X-Men Legacy #250

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 6/8/11

Posted on by
Bookmark and Share

It’s a decent stack of books last week dominated by summer events.  What’s worth it?  Find out below.

American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1 – With the main series a little over a year old, I questioned whether an offshoot limited series was needed.  This one flashes forward to World War II as a team of vampire hunters must head to occupied Nazi territory to retrieve a scientist.  The story is solid and art fantastic, I can see why this was given the green light and looking forward to the rest of the issues.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Annihilators #4 – Both stories are decent, but neither blew me away.  It’s the end for this limited series and we get another chapter in a few months to see where the cosmic section of the Marvel universe goes.  A decent limited series but not quite to the quality we’ve seen in the past.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Black Panther: The Man Without Fear #519 – Panther is on the hunt to save his friend Brian, but Kraven stands in the way.   What happens when two solid warriors such as these are pitted against each other?  This story arc will let us find out.  A decent read, but not great.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Booster Gold #45 – We get a better sense of the world of Flashpoint as Booster does some investigative work to figure out what’s going on.  This, I’m sure is the Flashpoint tie-in everyone’s missing.  The first issue was great, this one was just good, entertaining though.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Deadpool #38 – Deadpool continues to piss off the Hulk in hopes of getting killed.  I keep getting pissed off by how slapstic the series has gotten.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Fear Itself: Deadpool #1 – Wow, just when I thought Fear Itself tie-ins couldn’t get any worse, this comes along.

Story: 5 Art: 7 Overall: 5.5

Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #1 – Just slightly better than the Deadpool entry.  What the hell is up with Marvel’s summer event?

Story: 5.5 Art: 6 Overall: 5.75

Fear Itself: Spider-Man #2 – The bright spot in the rather underwhelming Fear Itself.  The story focuses not just on Spider-Man but how others are gripping with fear.  It’s a solid story telling technique and really stands out in a pretty poor summer event.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.75

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold #1 – Just when you think a Flashpoint book can’t get any better, this one comes along.  A solid story and great art, this one just makes me want a Rogues focused comic post Flashpoint (can we at least get some in the anthology book?!).  Beyond good.

Story: 9.5 Art: 9 Overall: 9.25

Flashpoint: Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager #1 – A pretty simple pirate tale following Deathstroke and his crew as he hunts for his daughter.  The story is good and Flahspoint acts more as a background than anything.  An entertaining read that plays off of the world it’s set in quite well.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

Flashpoint: Emperor Aquaman #1 – What lead up to Atlantis’s attack on the surface world and the war with the Amazons?  You get a good idea in this book, though I’m not completely convinced and there’s definitely holes and questions left to be answered.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1 – A somewhat updated take on the Frankenstein and the Warner monsters.  The story is ok, but there’s some issues with parts of the story taking place in theory before the world shifted.  We’ll see if that piece of story plays into the switch back.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Ghost Rider #0.1 – Ghost Rider is getting a reboot and that seems to be complete.  I used to be a die-hard Ghost Rider fan, but it seemed Marvel never quite knew how to handle the character.  We’ll give this a chance to see if they can get it right this time.  This first issue has promise, but doesn’t quite blow me out of the water.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

The Iron Age Alpha – Really not quite sure what to think.  It’s another time travel story that seems to be unnecessary, or could be handled in the main series.  Not sure I’ll be getting the first issue as this prelude did so little for me.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Journey Into Mystery #624 – Loki does what he knows best and schemes to get hell and hel on the side of Asgard in the battle to come.  There’s a lot going on and the chess of it is somewhat fascinating.  The new direction of the series is solid and very entertaining.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Mystery Men #1 – Though it feels a bit like The Twelve there’s some magic from that series is missing.  This first issue is fun and I think the complete series will be a fun read, but the first issue was just ok.  Maybe the complete whole will be greater than the sum of it’s parts.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

The New Avengers #13 – The team keeps taking on Superia and we finally learn what connects the story in the past with the story in the present.  Also a major decision is made about Mockingbird.  The issue has some great moments, but the arc as a whole was a bit uneven.  A solid ending though, with a twist I didn’t see coming.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Supreme Power #1 – I read the first volume of the series many years ago and clearly I’ve missed a lot and will need to go back and catch up.  A series that looks at the geo-political ramifications of nations controlling super powered beings!?  Yes please!

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.75

the Unwritten #26 – We learn a bit more about the history and origin of Tom Taylor and with those reveals come even more mysteries.  The series is thick and at times hard to understand but very rich at the same time as well as unpredictable.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25

Wolverine #10 – People Wolverine has wronged over the years band together to kill him and I roll my eyes at what seems to be the next piss poor Wolverine arc.  Seriously this series is having some major issues.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

X-Men: Legacy #250 – For such a momentus issue the three stories presented are a bit blah.  The first seems to be the new direction of the series and second shows us what’s sort of going on with some space faring mutants.  The third is a reprint of the first meeting with Legion by the New Mutants.  The art is so-so, but there’s a lot of potential here as far as story.  Here’s hoping the series gets back on it’s feet.

Story: 7.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

« Older Entries Recent Entries »