dc universe presents - Graphic Policy

Tag Archives: dc universe presents

Around the Tubes

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Brett

The weekend is almost here… yay!

Around the Tubes

Bleeding Cool – Is It A Villain #1 For Every DC Comic This September?– Could be interesting.

The Beat – JMAnga shuts down, taking all the manga you bought with it – That sucks. I wonder if anyone else will swoop in and offer an alternative.

The Mary Sue – Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige: Pepper Potts Ain’t No Damsel in Distress, Might Be [SPOILER]ing [SPOILER] in Iron Man 3 –Kind of awesome.

The Mary Sue – J.H. Williams on Batwoman’s Proposal and Publicity – I’m baffled why this wasn’t promoted more. Especially with the Card issue.

CBLDF – Columnist Endorses Censorship After Zombie Binge– Can we censor this idiocy?

The Hollywood Reporter – Marvel Signs WWE’s Dave Bautista for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ – Ok…
Around the Tubes Reviews

Talking Comics – Age of Ultron #2

The Beat – Revisiting the New 52 TPBs Part 2 (Animal Man, Captain Atom, DCU Presents, Swamp Thing)

Around the Tubes

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Brett

The weekend is here, yay! We’re back tomorrow at 8 pm with Graphic Policy Radio, listen in for the latest news, reviews and opinions.

Around the Blogs:

Bleeding Cool – Archaia To Publish Hardcovers For Free Comic Book Day Every Year – The bar has been raised.

Around the Tubes Reviews:

CBR – DC Universe Presents #9

CBR – Locke & Key: Clockworks #6

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 3/21/12

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Brett

Another week down, hopefully I’ll speed things up and get caught up with reviews.

Avengers: X-Sanction #4 – Wow, just so bad. Why is Spider-Man in his black costume and Wolverine in his X-Force when they don’t wear it at all?! And that ending? This is the lead up to the war between the X-Men and Avengers and if it’s goal was to get me excited, I’m not.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Batman #7 – Batman suffers from the trauma he experienced from the Court of Owls and we discover the truth behind Talon. This is some of the best Batman I’ve read in years and Scott Snyder’s writing with Greg Capullo’s art is just beyond so much of the other material being put out there. Fantastic.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Captain Atom #7 – The concept of time is explored as we learn the origin of Captain Atom. Such a fantastic issue, I hope this series finds the audience it deserves. The art is fantastic, story top notch. A great series.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

DC Universe Presents #7 – Well, well done DC, another series I don’t have to buy. Hopefully the next arc is more worth it than this one. I just don’t care and I’m just not entertained about the Challengers of the Unknown.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child #1 – Taking place post Katrina in New Orleans this is a pretty interesting story full of Voodoo, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and who knows what else. There’s an interesting vibe to the series, but I’m not totally sold. It’s a decent start, but not quite the kick I was hoping for.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.5

Fables #115 – Another chapter in the war in Oz, the toys of Discardia and the events going on in Castle Dark, so many stories, so much to keep track. Maybe too much to keep track? The series is still solid, I just think there might be too many storylines weaving about.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Fear Itself: The Fearless #11 – Is it just me or does Hellstrom’s actions and depictions not add up in the three different series’ he’s been depicted in this past month? As far as the rest of the story… yawn.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 6.5

Generation Hope #17 – And that’s the end of the series. It ended much better than it’s been for quite a bit, but it still feels very junior league to me. The ending was ok, but I think Kenji was a waste of a character even though he was so stereotypical. Oh well….

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Green Lantern Corps. #7 – Stewart deals with his actions in an ok story that throws out a lot of possibilities in the future. We’ll see what all of this might lead to in the future, here’s hoping some decent emotional long term repercussions.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Hoax Hunters #0 – It’s Scooby Doo and all of those ghost reality shows mixed together in an entertaining series collecting the short stories that’ve appeared before. The series is entertaining and fun mixing some light horror and humor with original ideas. The series will be kicking off into an ongoing soon and it’ll be great to see what they do with the ability to pull off a story over multiple issues.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

The Invincible Iron Man #514 – Tony is presented an option instead of facing a trial and like a game of chess so many moving parts are going on. It’ll be very interesting to see how this all plays out because as Tony hints towards the end, he’s a few steps ahead of the rest.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Justice League #7 – The main story was pretty damn bad. The quiet moments when the team is talking to Trevor is good, and the Shazam short story is interesting enough, but overall, this is supposed to be a top line DC title?

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.5

Kick-Ass 2 #7 – And that’s the end of the second volume. There’s some good stuff here, but it’s still mostly violence for violence sake. There’s a bit of character development and the third volume has potential to be much better than this second one.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.75

New Mutants #39 – If you need more evidence that Warlock in large doses is annoying… well here you go.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.25 Overall: 6.5

Nightwing #7 – Seven issues in and it was all a lead up to a crossover with Batman and his Court of Owls storyline. Overall, we really still don’t get the why of it all, it just seems like an empty lead up to me.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Rebel Blood #1 – Another hot series from Image that fills a nice horror niche. The series is great and left me not totally understanding everything. The story looks great and left me wanting more.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Supercrooks #1 – Why do criminals always commit crimes in cities where super heroes are? That’s the question this new series from Mark Millar and Leinil Yu asks. The series’ first issue is a solid start with some great action, great characters and solid art. The concept is good and this is a more subdued comic compared to Kick-Ass. This very well might be Millar grown up a bit.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.5

Supergirl #7 – Supergirl fights the Worldkillers and it’s all a set up for Doomsday to eventually show up. The art is great but story flimsy.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Thunderbolts #171 – Songbird goes on vacation and of course that goes wrong. The story is very meh, but I guess the point was to get Songbird to a certain point in her powers….

Story: 6.5 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Uncanny X-Men #9 – There’s an escape of aliens that make an otherwise boring day exciting, except the writing is bad, the dialogue laughable. The art is decent though.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Wolverine #303 – The battle between the Hand and Yakuza wages on in what I can only assume is a way to shake some things up when it comes to those entities in the Marvel universe. The story is ok, but I hate hate hate hate hate the switching of the art in the different chapters.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Wonder Woman #7 – Wonder Woman prepares for a trip to Hell and meets Eros and finds out a truth about the Amazons and any boys born. The story is ok, but not quite the quality we’ve seen from the series, depicting men as victims instead of strong women.

Story: 7 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.25

X-Factor #233 – The team thinks Jamie is dead so they’re out doing some work for Val and Havok is in charge. The series veers from it’s usually noir feel with more of an action story, but the writing is solid as always.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Comic Book (sort of) Weekly Reviews – 2/15/12

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Brett

I haven’t been catching up in my reading as much as I’d like… but I’m putting a big effort in this week…

Avengers #22 – Osborn’s actions are noticed by more than just the media. The President has to get in on the action and decide how he’ll react to Osborn’s rise. There’s some solid stuff here, but the political end of things falls flat.

Story: 6.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Avenging Spider-Man #4 – Spidey and Hawkeye team up for a pretty decent story. It’s a nice self-contained issue, but the art isn’t quite up to snuff. Not bad, just not great.

Story: 7.25 Art: 6.75 Overall: 7

Batman #6 – Batman’s battle with Talon and Court of Owls continues. So freaking good. Scott Snyder’s writing and Greg Capullo’s art is a team up from heaven. Amazing stuff.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9

Captain Atom #6 – A man or a rat? And does it matter? Captain Atom fights the being and contemplates how he was experimented on and became what he is. On top of that we’re flash forwarded twenty years to one hell of an event. The series is very good, I just wish more people recognized that.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

Daredevil #9 – Daredevil is going to take on the Mole Man, for some reason. The issue is solid, especially because of the art and how it plays with what Daredevil sees with his radar and what really awaits him. There’s a reason that Waid’s series has gotten so much praise. This is a perfect example.

Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75

DC Universe Presents: Challengers of the Unknown #6 – There’s something old school about the issue and series, but I really don’t have much interest in the story.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Fables #114 – There’s a lot of stories going on here. The Northwind training continues, there’s the story of a demented evil toy, folks check out Castle Dark and then there’s the revolution in Oz. So much going on and some is good and some gets the short shaft. Still, a solid series that always pays off.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

Fear Itself: The Fearless #9 – We get a better sense of Valkyrie is up to, but as a whole, the series is a bit boring and rather long.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Generation Hope #16 – Kenji and others plot against Hope…. I actually hope they kill her. Such a wasted character.

Story: 6.5 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.5

Green Lantern Corps. #6 – The Lanterns take on an army and Stewart makes a tough choice to save Oa. There’s some items here that’s likely to have long term impact for the series and Corps.

Story: 7 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7

The Invincible Iron Man #513 – Stark and War Machine fight to protect the Chinese and Stark realises he’s caught in something bigger as it becomes clear to him that Stane and Mandarin have teamed up. But, it’s that last page that made me smile as we get a hint as to what’s to come.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.75

The New Avengers #21 – The other part of Osborn’s plan. We see him take on Cage’s team and I have to say a Wolverine vs. Clor fight is pretty damn cool.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

Nightwing #6 – Dick learns who Saiko is as a benefit performance for his parents takes place. The story is ok, but overall, the story hasn’t hooked me quite as it did in the beginning.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Supergirl #6 – Anyone else feel like this whole Worldkiller thing is a bit too much like Doomsday? There’s some solid stuff here, but overall the story is so-so. I really wish the series focused again on Supergirl discovering her new world and figuring things out instead of this distraction.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Thunderbolts #170 – The team escapes and there’s a glimpse of the future. The story is ok, but I’m not a huge fan of the time travel device. It’s a bit better of an issue than the last few.

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

Ultimate Comics X-Men #7 – The issue is ok and I’m sure there’s much more to it for long time readers. The story plays a lot in what came before this current volume and for new readers, there’s just nothing there to really hook you or make you care about it. There’s something about Pietro’s actions, but what comes after is meh.

Story: 7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7

Uncanny X-Men #7 – The fight in Tabula Rasa continues and a lot happens, not much I really care about. The follow up to the events in Uncanny X-Force has been a big disappointment.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7 Overall: 6.75

Venom #13.2 – The team takes on the denizens of hell. The story is drawn out and some of the art is great, but overall, this could have been a two or three part story.

Story: 6.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 6.75

Winter Soldier #2 – The story involving sleeper agents and a gorilla wearing a jet pack and machine gun is fun and entertaining, but the art, while solid, is also a bit hectic, making it difficult to figure out all of the action like a movie with too shaky a camera. Overall a decent series, but there’s something not quite clicking from the usual quality I’d expect from a Brubaker book.

Story: 8 Art: 7.25 Overall: 8

Wolverine #301 – Wolverine continues to fight the Hand… again… and Sabretooth is there. The art keeps switching in the issue, which actually hurts the book. The story is ok, but nothing special.

Story: 6.75 Art: 6.75 Overall: 6.75

Wonder Woman #6 – So much going on, just so much. Something isn’t clicking for me. The series is interesting but there’s just something I’m not following. A shame, because the series started so clear and was so good….

Story: 7 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7

X-Factor #232 – Madrox’s journey ends, thankfully. Can’t say I was a fan of that storyline. But that ending could be interesting, or not….

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

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

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

Comic Book Weekly Reviews – 10/19/11

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Brett

A week behind in comics, but I’ll be caught up with reviews this weekend. What stands out? What’s not worth the read? Find out below!

The Avengers #18 – The battle is over and Avengers Tower has fallen, so everyone has gathered in the mansion. There’s also a back story about a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. That’s all that really happens. The cover asks who will be a part of the Avengers, and it’s not answered in this issue.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Batman #2 – A pretty solid second issue. There’s a nice mystery here and we still don’t quite know who or what the villain is. Unfortunately, an interesting character is done away with and part of the comic stretches belief a bit, but an entertaining comic.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

The Bionic Man #3 – Steve Austin is a broken man and an offer is made to him that’ll change his life. But, the world thinks he’s dead and he wishes he was. The series isn’t as straight as the original and seems that it will focus a bit on a man whose life is shattered and has to deal with not being the man he once was.

Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8

Captain Atom #2 – This second issue gives us a bit of the origin for Captain Atom and we learn a little bit more about his powers. I like how the issue slows it down a bit having the character taking on a very real opponent instead of some grand villain. It’s a quieter issue for the series and I think it actually improves upon the first.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

DC Universe Presents #2 – The second issue sees Deadman attempting to figure out what the hell is going on and what his mission is. Not quite as good as the first issue and I can’t say I was a big fan of the denizens of the club he visits, but I like the overall direction of the comic. An interesting take on the character and fun to see a non-superhero comic be a part of DC’s new 52.

Story: 7.5 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7.5

Fables #110 – The debate as to who will be the next North Wind continues as the other three winds plot about how to handle the situation. Meanwhile a revolution is brewing in Oz as more and more allies join the team. The series has a lot going on, and I can’t help but feel what’s going on in Oz isn’t similar to things we’ve seen before. Still, an excellent series.

Story: 8 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8

Fear Itself #7 – The final issue of the main story would work much better as an animated movie with such action, but it’s the numerous endings that steals any emotional impact at all. This isn’t really an ending at all, but the beginning of what comes next. For such an event, it feels hollow in a way as it just leads into an even longer story. No real conclusion steals any impact that might have been had.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7

Fear Itself: The Fearless #1 – The first of the series to spin out of Fear Itself picks up right where the event ended with the decision as to what to do with the hammers being made, others would disagree or try to gain them. Interestingly enough, this first issue is better than the series it spun out of.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

Fear Itself: The Homefront #7 – Generally forgettable, the final pages to Speedball’s story is ok, and the last story is actually pretty decent, but overall this miniseries, like so many tied into Fear Itself, wasn’t a must read and added little to the overall storyline.

Story: 6.75 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7

Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt #6 – That last little bit with Prodigy was awesome, really funny. The rest of the comic, especially Thor Girl’s bit, what the hell!? Especially Thor Girl’s part! I’m just totally confused.

Story: 6 Art: 7.75 Overall: 6.25

Green Lantern Corps. #2 – Looks like Guy and his team have bumped up against a bunch of other folks who use willpower. The story is pretty crazy and entertaining and that ending was really solid. It seems quite a few of the DC revamp second issues haven’t lived up to the first, but this one remains solid.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Invincible Iron Man #509 – The back story of how the heroes got their weapons from Odin ends here and that part is forgettable. What’s great is Tony struggling with his drinking and what happens to Pepper. Not as solid as past issues, but the story works, even if it’s tied into Fear Itself and that’s primarily due to it’s focus on the human aspect of it all.

Story: 7.75 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Journey Into Mystery #629 – The first half of the story I wasn’t the biggest fan of but the end where Loki discusses what he’s done and what the reaction might be is fantastic. I can’t say I’ve gushed over the series, but I’ve really appreciated it’s style and what it’s doing. Now that it no longer has to deal with Fear Itself, I’m expecting some big things.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75

Justice League #2 – The team is still coming together and I can’t say the character portrayals is all that good. Superman is still a dick and Batman like a dad, but Green Lantern and The Flash have a nice thing going and hints there’s been interaction before. The story slowly is revealed and it’s ok. If this is the lynchpin of the new DCU, it still needs some help.

Story: 7.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.75

Nightwing #2 – Nightwing/Dick Grayson seems to be getting back to his roots with the circus in this series. It’s nice to see him getting pulled back to that and that makes him unique from Batman. I’m not quite totally sure where the series is going, but so far so good. I really like Dick being the playboy he should be, there’s something fun about his version of it, like you get a sense he’s having fun versus Bruce’s brooding. Not great, but an entertaining second issue.

Story: 8 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8

Superboy #2 – An interesting second issue, what might keep me going with the series is it’s tie in with the Teen Titans. I really like Superboy’s attitude and what they’re setting the character up as, but the rest is meh. I feel like I’ve seen it before. It’s all interesting, and the question of where it’s going may keep me around, but none of it is totally original or stands out.

Story: 7 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.25

Supergirl #2 – We learn Kara/Supergirl’s connection to Superman, but not the why she’s now on Earth. I’m digging the story. Her reaction seems natural and there’s a slow progression I dig. This is a series I’ll be sticking with for a bit I think, cause I really like what I’ve read so far.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Superior #7 – Become a super hero at the cost of your soul, that’s all one handicapped kid has to do to become god-like. This second to last issue is utterly fantastic in the type of series Mark Millar should constantly be writing. There’s a few holy shit moments and some great personal ones as well. Beyond top notch.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.5

Ultimate Comics Hawkeye #3 – Hawkeye and his team assault the two cities. There’s some cool moments, but this third issue isn’t quite as tight as the first two. Still, entertaining.

Story: 7.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 7.5

Uncanny X-Men #544 – A pretty solid look back at the X-Men with some great interaction and discussions between various folks. There’s also a lot of hints as to what’s to come as we see the next villain the X-Men will face. A bitter sweet end.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Wolverine #17 – Ok, now this is the type of Wolverine story I like. Before heading back East, there’s still some things Wolverine needs to take care of in Chinatown. A great mix of humor, action and a touch of heart. After a few arcs of Wolvie I haven’t enjoyed, it seems we’re getting something I can finally get behind.

Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25

Wonder Woman #2 – We’re given a story about Wonder Woman’s origin, but I’m not convinced that’s the whole story. Overall, a really entertaining second issue that has this series standing out as one of the best of the DC relaunch. Great art and a solid story.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

X-Factor #226 – The team is back in all of their entertaining form. Great banter and interaction and some things I wasn’t expecting. After a few issues that seemed very off in tone the team is back on track it’d seem.

Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5

Around the Tubes

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Brett

It’s the weekend yay! Did you hear we have a radio show tomorrow? Well, we do. Until then, here’s the news you might have missed and we’ve got tons throughout the day.

Around the Blogs:

Today Books MSNBC – Gay characters take center stage in comic books – Great to see this get some mainstream coverage.

Slash Film – Atlas Entertainment Acquires Graphic Novel ‘Langley High’ from Benderspink – Another graphic novel is snatched up for a possible movie.

Con Coverage:

The Baltimore Sun – Small but vibrant crowd expected for Annapolis Comic-Con

The Beat – MICE 2011 (Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo)

Spandexless – SPX Pulls: Octopus Pie, Meredith Gran

Around the Tubes Reviews:

MTV Geek – The Art of Vampire Knight

MTV Geek – Black Metal, Book 2 – The False Brother

CBR – DC Universe Presents #1

Death and Taxes – Habibi

ICv2 – Habibi

52 Reviews, Part 3

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

So, for the fun of it, I’m going to be collecting all 52 DC #1 issues. And I’m going to review them all. Keep in mind, though, that I’m generally a Marvel fan and, while I’m working may way through DC’s recent big events, I’m only up through the middle of Countdown and I haven’t read any of DC’s non-event comics in a long time, so I’m coming at these stories with a bit of a disadvantage in terms of chronology and character knowledge. Since DC is certainly trying to attract new readers, though, this makes me come at them with a perspective similar to their hypothetical new fans…

Batman #1 (DC) – Maybe DC should just stick to stories about Batman or written by Scott Snyder. They seem to do well with those. I’ve liked all of the Batman issues of DCnU and this one is no exception. Greg Capullo does a great job on the pencils on this one. This story gives us a great intro to many of Batman’s enemies, reaches out to Batman’s wider universe of allies, gives a great nod to his past and leaves us with a great mystery at the end. This is a very good comic.

Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.5

Birds of Prey #1 (DC) – Unlike some of the other creative teams this week, Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz at least try to balance the “hotness” of their female characters with a good story and clothing that is functional. Sure, they’re still models and there is still some titillation, but the costumes are legit for superheroines and the women are well-written characters in a well-written story.

Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5

Blue Beetle #1 (DC) – So far, this is DC’s best attempt at diversity. There have been a number of other minority characters in the new comics, but they all seem to be colorblind attempts at diversity, with the black characters not being stereotypical, but also not being distinguishable from white characters beyond the visual elements. In this issue, Jaime Reyes is written as a real human being and his Hispanic heritage is not ignored and he doesn’t descend into a characature, either (although a few of the other characters come dangerously close). There is also a great Spanglish joke that was my favorite moment of the week.

Story: 9 Art: 8 Overall: 8.5

Captain Atom #1 (DC) – The art is a bit too loose for my tastes and I’m not sure that I like this particular take on Captain Atom, but J.T. Krul does commit to a particular vision of the character and does a good job of being consistent and creating a coherent narrative and personality for Captain Atom and his supporting cast. Definitely worth a continued look.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Catwoman #1 (DC) – The art by Guillem March is bad enough to sink it (near-Liefeldian body proportion problems mixed with Macfarlane-esque contortions). Tht title of the story is “most of the costumes stay on,” which has to be ironic, since in the three pages before we learn that title, we see five separate panels showing Selina’s bra-covered breasts. The rest of the issue has naked hookers and a throwaway woman who is beaten and killed for no particular reason. The story seems like a man’s revenge fantasy of what a woman would do to a man who had brutalized and killed another woman. Sort of like his heart’s in the right place, but he doesn’t quite understand women. And the concept is undercut by the wall-to-wall TNA and the uncomfortable Batman sex scene. One positive note: through 39 DCnU issues, Catwoman’s contact Lola is the first female character I’m aware of who isn’t skinny. She’s still in skin-tight clothing and is somewhat sexualized, but it’s something

Story: 1 Art: 4 Overall: 2.5

DC Universe Presents #1 (DC) – Another issue where there is a coherent vision for the character and an attempt at creating a style and tone for the series that, while I may not love it, I can appreciate the quality of what is being done. This issue has some interesting things in it, including a possibly unintentional homage to the movie Fallen, with Denzel Washington, that works well.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Green Lantern Corps #1 (DC) – This issue isn’t perfect, but it’s still very entertaining. The Guy Gardner-John Stewart team-up works well. Artist Fernando Pasarin’s strength appears to be the big, epic shots. In a GL story, there are a lot of those and most of them in this issue are breathtaking. Definitely a series to keep reading. So when I said above that DC is really getting it right on Batman, I’d add the Lantern stuff to that, since I think all of the Lantern issues have been well done, too.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (DC) – Not surprisingly for a Legion comic, there are too many characters here to really grab on to any of them. It’s not a bad issue, it’s just not something that is really interesting. Good, but not great.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Nightwing #1 (DC) – It’s a little confusing at times and the art isn’t my favorite, but it’s very good, if necessarily derivative of Batman comics.

Story: 8 Art: 7.5 Overall: 7.75

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (DC) – This comic is very sexist. It’s all about objectifying Starfire, her having sex with random people in the perfect male fantasy, and spying on her and posting pics of her in a bikini on the Internet without her knowledge. I think Jason Todd and some kind of plot are in there too.

Story: 1 Art: 7 Overall: 4

Supergirl #1 (DC) – The issue is all action and the action is pretty good. The art isn’t great and I keep getting the feeling that if she turned the wrong way, Supergirl would accidentally be bottomless, that’s how skimpy the bottom of her costume is. Also, it seems like DC is relying too much on the “reveal” of a major character guest appearing in another issue, despite it not really being a surprise most of the time. This is at least the fourth or fifth time that Superman or Batman has shown up on the last page of a comic starring someone else. This one does have a lot of potential, though, so I’ll be back.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Wonder Woman #1 (DC) – I’ve never cared for Wonder Woman since I’m not a huge mythology fan and I was prepared to really dislike this comic. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. While this issue has some of the same wardrobe problems and male fantasy takes on what women should be like that other issues this week have, they are minor here compared to other issues and this one is superior because of a very good story. The comic is almost cinematic in its tone and Diana is clearly established as a strong female character, something we can’t say for Catwoman or Starfire.

Story: 9 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.25

Around the Tubes

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Brett

I’ve really got nada right now but…. Friday is a cool interview with a comic book writer that’ll be written up after or for Saturday and at 3pm EST we’ve got some news we’ve had to sit on, so come back then…. Until then, here’s the news you might have missed.

Around the Blogs:

Kotaku – See Arkham City’s Batman Without his Mask On – The toys look pretty decent, the game looks amazing.

Death and Taxes – Batwoman Is the Black, Gay Sheep Of Batman’s Comic Family – Great interview.

Vancouver Sun – Comic books in schools lure reluctant readers – Another article about how comics are promoting literacy.

Con Coverage:

Bleeding Cool – And Finally… Going On A Date With Marvel Comics

Spandexless – SPX Pulls: Healed, George O’Connor & S. Griffin

Spandexless – SPX Talks: Alex Robinson

Comics Alliance – RedBubble’s New York Comic Con T-Shirt Design Challenge [Contest]

Fantagraphics Books – SPX 2011: Now With Even More Photos!

Spandexless – SPX Pulls: Darryl Ayo Roundup

Spandexless – SPX Talks: Aaron Diaz/Dresden Codak