DC:
DC PICK OF THE WEEK:
Batwoman #5
Written by: J.H. Williams III
Drawn by: J.H. Williams III
-J.H. Williams the Third is there any other way you could make me love your work more? I mean your Batwoman (and other books) is simply incredible. The way you draw the panel layouts and characters is simply admirable as you breathe life into each page with gorgeous pencil strokes and full on emotions pouring out onto the page. You’re a master of switching up styles as well, able to go from chalky watercolor to darker noir tones and traditional comic book styling in only a matter of panels. There’s no misplaced idea or out of step panel present in this most recent issue of Batwoman, as your first arc comes to a close. Of course, I believe you’re no slouch in the writing department either. You give Kathy Kane, D.E.O. Bones, Cameron Chase and even the Weeping Woman full personalities and real emotions. You did something a lot of other comic book writers constantly forget to do; you told a story and you gave the characters persona as well. The way you set the story up for bigger things was also brilliant. It gave me shudders as to what could be accomplished in Batwoman given the right setup and amount of preparation time. It was a truly solid issue. 5/5
Minor:
Batman & Robin #5
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Drawn by: Patrick Gleason
-Tomasi does some absolutely fun things with Damian this issue that signifies this as one of the darker books in the new 52. And it’s not cheap violence and gore dark either. This honestly feels like it could’ve been in the old DCU even though the tone and the coloring of B&R is extremely somber. Basically Damian strains the relationship between him and Bruce even more (not going to spoil it) and a lot happens. Gleason is making solid use of his shadows and dark colors here, making this actually feel like a dark Bat-title as opposed to some of the other bat-books (looking at you Detective Comics). I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did. 4.5/5
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5
Written by: Jeff Lemire
Drawn by: Alberto Ponticelli
-The most underrated book of the new 52 continues to be the most underrated of them all. Crossing over with OMAC last week but with no story split between the issues, we get a nice one-off of knock-down, drag-out brawls between OMAC and Frankenstein himself. Things get blasted, slammed, punched, kicked and chopped as Frankenstein tears his way to glory. Lemire really knows how to switch styles and pull crazy Morrison-esque sci-fi concepts out of his head. Ponticelli rips it up on artwork here, drawing amazingly detailed splash pages and huge action pieces that contrast with the quieter moments in the book. His sketchy style is just so suited for the series. An amazingly fun one-off issue, Frankenstein gets a 4.5/5
Green Lantern #5
Written by: Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Doug Mahnke
-Geoff Johns proved himself to me as a writer with Brightest Day, and I have extensively picked up his back catalog as of recent. I just got finished reading his last Green Lantern run before this one so I could fully understand what was going on and might I say it was worth it. I never being a Green Lantern fan helped in a way in that it got me excited for an epic space opera. The insights opened up lead into this issue perfectly. Sinestro fights off his former team while Hal reunites with his old love Carol. I foresee a lot of epic space drama coming in soon with the last page reveal of the Guardians being miserable old bastards. As usual, Mahnke draws extremely detailed Lantern-y things such as constructs, costumes and characters. His environments and faces leave much to be desired, but overall it’s solid nonetheless. 4/5
Resurrection Man #5
Written by: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Drawn by: Fernando Blanco
-Finally things really do pick up for Resurrection Man! Maybe this issue will save the series from its rumored cancellation. Here we get a cool if unnecessary Deathstroke cameo and we learn more about Mitch’s background through an extended flashback sequence in the process. We practically learn the origin of Mitch Shelley’s tenure as Resurrection Man and some cool action stuff happens as well. Fernando Blanco does a decent job drawing everyone and his backgrounds are incredibly detailed. His Deathstroke is awful, but that’s perfectly okay. 4/5
Superboy #5
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Drawn by: R.B. Silva and Rob Lean
-I wish Superboy and Teen Titans were on the same wavelength because it’s got me confused already about which one’s happening first story-wise. Other than that, Lobdell writes a perfectly fine issue as he explores Superboy’s emotions and mental monologues, Rose Wilson’s emotional anguish, and the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. guy’s short fuse. This is a lot more writing than I expected for a Super-book and I dig it. The artwork is smooth but Silva draws nothing special or worth of note here, as most of it is obscured by dialogue or it is fairly simplistic. A decent one all around. 3.5/5
Marvel:
MARVEL PICK OF THE WEEK:
Incredible Hulk #4
Written by: Jason Aaron
Drawn by: Whilce Portacio
-I must say there were some things in Hulk that I didn’t expect would happen. First off, there was a lot more dialogue than I was expecting for a Hulk comic. As much as I like to read a well-written plot point or piece of dialogue, I must say I found it annoying that it covered up a lot of the artwork. Second of all, I wasn’t expecting the intimate, intelligent conversation between Hulk and Banner. It really summed up how complex of a relationship they share. Jason Aaron is a master of the pen as he writes philosophically and psychologically, playing master of the world at hand here. Whilce Portacio does a decent imitation of Marc Silvestri on art, copying his line work down to the exact detail that I found it hard to tell the difference myself. The big battle sequences he draws are spectacular but condensed by small panels when they should have been given big splash pages. Other than a few minor complaints in the art and writing department, this was a fantastic issue that really got me going. For the first time in a long time I have enjoyed a Hulk series and that’s why this wins my Marvel pick of the week. 4/5
Minor:
Scarlet Spider #1
Written by: Christopher Yost
Drawn by: Ryan Stegman
-Scarlet Spider wasn’t bad or good, just predictable. Predictable monologues, predictable storytelling, predictable cliché becoming the hero moment, etc. However, despite all the predictability the book has -going for it, I will say that it’s well-executed and Chris Yost has a good idea on how to deliver plot twists and characterize Kaine. Stegman’s art pretty much apes the new Marvel House style these days, with lots of generic, anime inflected characters. I do love the little details he draws though, like the webbing or the car crash or a sunny vista. Nothing special but nothing bad, Scarlet Spider gets a 3.5/5.
Dark Horse:
Orchid #4
Written by: Tom Morello
Drawn by: Scott Hepburn
-As much as I don’t want to give it up, seeing as how Tom Morello is one of my favorite musicians, I can’t help but get annoyed by this series sometimes because:
• There’s a lot of exposition and background info dump that could’ve been explored in later issues via backup stories
• The artwork on the characters is getting sloppier with each issue and this is no exception, even though the backgrounds Hepburn draws are pretty stellar
• We still know only a few things about each characters past
• Etc.
Hopefully Morello and Hepburn can fix this before it gets out of hand, because there is a good story lying underneath it just needs a little more fleshing out. 3/5
Vertigo:
Severed #6
Written by: Scott Snyder
Drawn by: Attila Futaki
-Snyder’s eerie horror tale comes to the issue before the closure and I feel like I’m going to be losing an old friend here. Snyder’s skill at giving characters depth and personas knows no bounds, as he puts it to full effect in Severed. He makes our young hero Jack seem like an innocent man on a journey, unaware of the bigger world that surrounds him. His villain is also really menacingly creepy and a smooth devil. For such a short story there are a lot of unrevealed mysteries and a whole lot of depth that keeps you going throughout the book. Futaki’s mix of watercolors and photorealistic, grainy drawings are articulate and detailed, bringing an old-time quality to the mix. I can’t wait for the final issue. 4.5/5