Comic releases of 3/16/11
Hey all, well to my surprise I was once again delayed from my comic reviews, so now that I have free time here is this weeks reviews. This week has some new arcs beginning and ones wrapping up, along with one comic that is a definite….no….MUST read. Without any further delay, let’s begin….
Comics: Amazing Spider-man #656, Avengers Academy #11, Brightest Day #22, Invincible Iron Man #502, Power Girl #22, Superman #709, Thunderbolts #155, and Xombi #1
DC Comics
Top Pick: Xombi #1
Abridged story: David Kim aka Xombi has returned after being in isolation, tasked to join with a group of Nuns and a catholic school girl to investigate a prison with an inmate that must not be allowed to escape.
Review: Where do I begin with this, after reading this relaunch? This is one of most creatively made characters. What I liked about this guy is that his power, he does some of the most inventive and as mentioned, really creative, like turning a quarter into a key to unlock a door. The nuns and the school girl are also creative with their powers; one nun can shrink due to eating a bad tasting shrimp. The writer for this character is the same one that made him, John Rozum, does an AMAZING job with the writing. The dialogue is some of the best, telling us what we need through well-paced exposition, rather than giving us a long winded origin, we continue the story but Rozum has Kim explain everything to catch up on the main points of who and what he is. There is a great flow to this issue; I think we have some competition for Geoff to worry about
Artwork: This guy I love his work from Batman and Robin, Frazer Irving. The cover is the main character, David Kim, opening a door that appears to be a mouth of a demonic creature. There are so many great moments with his artwork. Irving creates this atmosphere which appears almost dreamlike; the last page especially shows off that idea. The character designs are some of the best, giving them such emotion and expression.
Grade: This was a smash hit for a first issue, great writing along with this amazing artwork, this issue is a must; I give this issue an A++
Quick Reviews
Brightest Day #22: Firestorm fights the Anti-Monitor and the black lanterns. One of the best issues to date, can’t wait for the amazing conclusion. Johns and Tomasi continue great work, the art is fantastic, and this issue gets an A
Power Girl #22: PG and Superman fight magical dinosaurs and PG’s life is slowly returning to normal, also has to find a real secret identity. Surprised how it moves on from GL and BD, loved the idea of the issue, a new horizon for her. Basri does amazing again along with a favorite Magical girl who appears in the issue too. This issue gets a B+
Superman #709: He and Barry Allen discuss legacy and what the future holds in store for them. Superman is still being emo over Lois, not bad but not good. Artwork is alright, just waiting for this arc to end. This issue gets a C+
Marvel
Top Pick: Amazing Spider-man #656
Abridged Story: Peter is still dealing without his spider sense, now realizing that without it, he has to endure with thinking about all his actions. He gets the idea of his latest suit while dealing with the ramifications of the new villain the “Walking Massacre”. He vows to the people of New York City no one will die while he is around.
Review: This is surprised me by how fast it nicely wraps up the arc. We get a very great and thought out origin of Walking Massacre, why he acts the way he does and why he turned into a villain. There is some moments of Peter lashing out at people for not feeling the same way as he does when it comes to the deaths of innocent people. I love the new armor design of his bullet proof suit and his magnetic infused spider webs; finally Peter is implementing his science skills to his heroic duties. There is a great moment with Jameson telling a young boy that he too has lost a loved and promises the people who did it will pay.
Artwork: Again this issue has a retro style artwork which I dig. The cover is really cool. Peter in the new Bullet proof armor leaping into a barrage of bullets. The rest of the issue is really impressive, I like the character design and the action moments are really great.
Grade: I love this bold direction with Spider-man, loved his new ambition and promise to the people. Artwork is great, for me at least. This issue gets an A+
Quick Reviews
Avengers Academy #11: The Avengers come to the rescue after Korvac has appeared. The team is given a temporary new power and continues the battle. Great issue full of action, explains who Korvac greatly and the last page is awesome. This issue gets a B+
Invincible Iron Man #502: Stark and Doc Ock continue to their battle of wills, Stark asking who is the mole and Doc gives a brief idea how he would do it. Stark gives in and decides to fight it out. Fraction getting the action out with this arc much faster than expected and I’m glad. The artwork looks great as usual, this issue gets a B
Thunderbolts #155: Dr. Strange and Luke Cage team up to locate Satana in the middle of the Himalayans. The Fixer brings up a bunch of people together as potential members. Artwork looks great, except for Dr. Strange; he looks much more different than I have seen. This issue gets a B-
Well that’s all for this week, I would have liked to have reviewed Venom but my shop was sold out, I will wait for second print, which should be soon. I will skip again next week as I only have 3 issues. So take care until the following week, ComicCritic87 OUT!!!!!