ComicCritic87’s weekly comic book reviews
Comics of 2/15/12
Hey there friends and fellow comic lovers, I have quite a batch of comics this week. We have 12 comics this week, many of them are exciting and must reads. The infestation continues in IDW, the events of Kingdom of Monsters has reached its conclusion or has it? Has Scott Snyder been able to top himself since last issue of Batman? Let’s find out shall we……
Comic List
Dark Horse Comics
None
DC Comics
Batman #6
Catwoman #6
Wonder Woman #6
IDW
Ghostbusters #6
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #12
Infes2ation: Transformers #2
Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #2
Marvel Comics
Amazing Spider-man #679.1
Avengers #22
Fear Itself: The Fearless #9
Thunderbolts #170
Venom #13.2
DC Comics
Top pick of the week
Batman #6
Written by Scott Snyder
Artwork by Greg Capullo
Story: The griping conclusion from issue #5 sees Batman finally seeing the entire court of owls as he gets battered and bruised beyond his limitations. He finally has enough of it and fights back, defeating Talon and finally escapes his labyrinthine prison.
Review: Although this is one amazing issue it doesn’t hold a candle to issue #5, it was really hard to top what Snyder has done with this character and series. This is most easily the best incarnation of the character and his world, this is tops the Dark Knight Returns and the Killing Joke. Seeing Batman being able to overcome such destruction to his own body and fighting back, facing his fear of owls once and for all.
Writing: Scott Snyder is just amazing with this writing, he creates the best interpretation of Batman, combining the best of all various forms that took the dark and gothic aspects and meshed them seamlessly into this Batman.
Artwork: The artwork of Capullo’s is very befitting to the characters, locations, and has a dark style to it. The fight scene is vaguely reminiscent to Frank Miller artwork in the 80s.
Summary: While not topping issue 5 this is a great continuation of this epic story arc they are telling. The writing and artwork are some of the best I have seen for any comic out there.
Grade: A
DC quick reviews
Catwoman #6: Selina is caught by the crooked cops and brutally attacked by reach once again. She breaks free and meets up with Batman; he lets her go as she leaves Gotham. A fine issue to a sexy series that has evolved beyond its startling first 2 issues, its no longer all about sex, they are developing her character much more. The writing is well done and the artwork brings a sexy vibe to the overall series. B-
Wonder Woman #6: Diana proposes that Poseidon and Hades rule Olympus in a split deal while Hera is queen to both, but Hera doesn’t like that idea. Zola gets taken captive by Hades who forces Diana to fulfill her end of a bargain. A truly fun and enjoyable series that mixes action and horror really well, considering the character they are using too. The writing is the best for WW and her cast of characters and the artwork has grown on me, it’s one of the better fill-in artists I have seen. B+
IDW Comics
Top pick of the week
Transformers: More than Meets the Eye #2
Written by James Roberts
Artwork by Alex Milne
Story: The crew searches for the lost members during the space warp. They are on a mysterious planet where one Autobot with Amnesia begins to remember parts of his life and battles giant sword wielding robots. Rodimus tells the crew both good and bad news as they come up with a new name for themselves, the Crusadercons.
Review: I have made mention that for me to really stay on with a series; issue two has to be the selling point. Issue one is the setup, while issue two has to be the payoff and thankfully this issue 2 pays off really well. This is a very light hearted action/adventure series, it has a nice amount of characters that they introduce to new readers like myself and still keeps original readers to enjoy it as well. The action beats are well placed and not the main set pieces. This is a character driven story, this is something Michael Bay should look into some time.
Writing: James Roberts writes these characters really well, they all have fun personalities and he is able to mix comedy and drama really well.
Artwork: I love this artwork, I like the style Milne’s art gives these characters. As I mentioned with the first issue, we have a nice pooling of the various incarnations of the characters and placed into one single medium.
Summary: A solid issue that is showing us some great potential for the characters and series. The writing is well done and the artwork is amazing.
Grade: A
IDW quick reviews
Ghostbusters #6: The team finds out the source of the haunting, it quickly possesses Peter while the others are unaware at the moment. This is a funny series but I like to see a more serious side of it; the writing is funny here and there. The art style is nicely done too. C+
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #12- The gripping conclusion to the first major arc, the world begins to recover from the destruction made by the monsters. We see one familiar face looming over earth. Well it doesn’t end but the issue has a good ending but the overall issue is just a bit of a bore to read. The artwork is nice in showcasing the various destroyed cities and the final image of the next big baddy was cool. C-
Infes2ation: Transformers #2- Optimus Prime battling a giant Elder God……EPIC. B+
Marvel Comics
Top pick of the week
Thunderbolts #170
Written by Jeff Parker
Artwork by Kev Walker
Story: The team is freed from the prison thanks to Ghost. They begin to fight their way out of Camelot. Troll takes control of a Dragon while Satana peeks into Merlin’s powerful Crystal ball. They make their full escape and meet up with Merlin, who knows of the travels they have been on. He tells them that Moonstone has the piece that can send them back to the proper time. They do so but they end up a few years too early, meeting up with the original Thunderbolts.
Review: I have loved this series since I jumped onto it and since then it’s been one great ride, this time traveling arc has been fantastic and it continues to impress. The characters are consistent and really fun with their interactions with one another. The conclusion does have a great payoff that we are about to see a clash between the original and current Thunderbolt rosters.
Writing: Parker has done a fantastic job with this series and these characters. Adding in Arthurian legend and mythology is a great spice to it all.
Artwork: Kev Walker does an amazing job with these characters, each one fully diverse with their outfits and style, he even gives the 90s version a great look as well.
Summary: One of the best team books Marvel has going for it. The writing and artwork are a perfect match.
Grade: A-
Marvel quick reviews
Amazing Spider-man #679.1: Spider-man battles Morbius at Horizon labs after he discovers that Morbius is the mysterious #6. One of the better filler issues for Spider-man. No real reason to have it is a .1 issue. The writing and artwork are nicely done. B+
Avengers #22: The captured team gets worked on like guinea pigs. Earthquake forces a former agent of AIM to take her to HAMMER headquarters. A meh issue, I had real high hopes for this arc but so far have been disappointed with it, with this being Bendis’ final arc I was expecting something better. The artwork is the only major improvement. C+
Fear Itself: The Fearless #9- Valkyrie fights Storm and meets up with Captain America and Doctor Strange. Crossbones and his evil crew find the cabin Valkyrie is using as a hideout. An overall satisfying series that delves further into a third tier characters backstory, making her more than what she was. The artwork is serviceable and the various fight scenes are well done. B-
Venom #13.2: The circle of four event continues forth as the team tries their best to fight off their opposing forces. A so-so event that’s just not really that engaging and feels like a rushed story line, there was no build up for this event at all. The various writers and artists are a nice touch though. Venom has done and can do a lot better than this. C+
Well that’s all for this week friends. Hope you all enjoy the reads from your listings. Next week the issues are less but as always I will be there to review them. Catch you later.