Hello once again to my weekly comic book review. Todays roster is Secret Avengers #1, Thunderbolts #144, Thor #610, War of the Supermen #4, Green Lantern #54, and Return of Bruce Wayne #2.
Secret Avengers #1: The spiritual sequel series to the DARK AVENGERS, Secret Avengers is about Steve Rogers and his covert ops team compiled of Himself, Beast, War Machine, Valkyrie, Black Widow, Moon Knight, Nova, and Ant-man. Each member is shown through this first issue giving us the entire roster doing a select part in a mission to retrieve a mysterious item which eventually leads them off planet and being tailed by an enemy group lead by a familiar face. I enjoyed this first issue, the action was really well paced and we are given great moments of Rogers recruiting a few of the members but not all. Brubakers writing is amazing with each character, they all feel and act the same as they have in other series. The artwork also complements the writing by using some dark shades and shadows giving us a true sense of the covert ops, in terms of less is more. I give this issue an A, for solid writing and great artwork.
Thunderbolts #144: Following off the events of Siege, Luke Cage has been given the task and honor of being the new leader of the Thunderbolts team. He goes to the island where the super villains are kept in a maximum security prison. He recruits a great assortment of members, a few former and a bunch of new comers, including Man-thing. Hank Pym makes a special cameo in this issue more or less as tech advisor for Cage. The issue ends with the Cage giving a stirring speech to his new team which ultimately leads to a funny moment(kinda) where we are introduced to the first villain the team must face. This was my first jump into the Thunderbolts series and I know this issue acts much like issue 1 of Dark Avengers where we get the roster joining together and meeting their first foe. Parkers writing is spot on for this comic, when cage meets up with Songbird and Moonstone, its a funny moment. The artwork really shows off each villain and look. Juggernaut looks really BAD ASS!!!! I'm looking forward to the rest of this new series, and I hope to see this team in the Shadowland event. I give this a B+, a typical gathering of the team issue has been done before, but the artwork makes up for it.
Thor #610: A stand-alone issue taking place after the events of Siege, yet not taking place in the heroic age just yet. This issue is full of striking dialogue and epic fighting between 2 Thor's. The issue is about Balder and Thor coming to terms with the events of Siege and what is next for Asgard. Thor is once again offered the title of King but Thor declines, him being a defender rather than a leader. His final battle with Ragnarök, the Thor clone was epic and a cleansing of the soul for the series. I love this series very much, each issue brings more emphasis on character development and great action. Gillen's writing is great and really feels much like a fantasy novel brought to life. Braithwaite's art was interesting to say the least, it fit the issue and was refreshing from other looks and artists. I give this issue an A+ for great writing and unique artwork.
War of the Supermen #4: the final issue of this 1 month 4 issue event comic finally ends with the climatic battle between Superman and General Zod and his army of supermen. This finale really felt rushed, although it was a good kind of rushing. They wanted you to feel that this war was really fast and takes place in a little timespan, this war was called the 100 minute War. The biggest villain was not General Zod, but General Lane, he was a total d-bag and had LITTLE TO NO EMPATHY for the kryptonian people, even superman. This issue really focuses on the Supermen pantheon of characters(except power girl) and shows that even the justice league and other teams were powerless to them. The issue ends with of course them winning and essentially setting things back into balance. I enjoyed this event comic, again although it was one issue a week, it was refreshing to see it just get over with but at times something rushed can be both a blessing and a curse. The writing was well done for superman and action was center stage for this issue. The art was great, even though its approved by the CCA it still has a good amount of blood spill. I give this comic a B- for good story telling and solid art, but sadly it was just too rushed for my taste.
Green Lantern #54: continuing around the events of brightest day and GL issue #53, the story is about Hal, Carol, Sinestro standing around looking at the white lantern battery, unable to lift it they all gain a vision of the 12 villains and heroes returning and telling the 3 to find the entities of the spectrum. We also see Atrocious attacking a subway train in New York and yet he's doing good. He too is on a mission and sees Jordan and company being in his way, the issue ends with an old friend returning. Gotta love Johns and his work with green lantern, its like a glove, it fits. The artwork is once again spot on and the color is fantastic. This issue gets an A+ for amazing and solid writing and colorful artwork
Return of Bruce Wayne #2: picking up right where issue 1 leaves off, Bruce is now stuck in colonial times being healed by a mysterious woman. We also follow Superman and a small crew of heroes going to meet a thing called the Archivist. They discover that time around them is crumbling in less than 4 minutes. This issue is more fan service to the character when we find out an interesting moment for the Wayne family. The issue ends with Bruce meeting a legendary pirate. I'm glad that issue #2 came out in the same month as issue #1, it gives us a chance to really understand where this series is going. The writing by Morrison is amazing and did a great job doing the speech and language said during those times. The artwork was different than the last issue, but in terms of the concept its actually a smart thing. I give this issue a B+ for good strong writing for the character, and decent artwork.
And there you have it for this week in comics. Stay tuned for my review/editorial which is good bye and retrospective of Amanda Conners run on Power Girl. Until next time, BlackAirs OUT!!!