ComicCritic87 and Weedbeater Monthly Comics roundup
Month of November 2011
Greetings friends and fellow fans of comics, November has come to past, our stomachs are filled up from Thanksgiving dinner, and the shopping season is upon us, time for me and my teammate Weed to deliver our picks for this month’s comic releases.
ComicCritic87’s Top Picks
Week #1- November 2nd, 2011
Action Comics #3
Written By Grant Morrison
Artwork by Rags Morales
Story: We get a flashback of what has become of Krypton, a mysterious force (Brainiac, they can’t hide it) destroys the planet while taking some sample. Clark awakens after having a dream only to be questioned by an agent. Clark meets up with Jimmy for a chat about idle things. Meanwhile Lois’s father is preparing a test of a battle suit that can take on Superman. Just as it begins the suit is hacked and overtaken by Brainiac looking for Superman.
Review: Between the two Superman titles that are available at the moment, I think the true Superman title worth reading has been Action comics. The basis of giving us a younger, slightly experienced and still growing into his super heroism is what sets Action Comics and Superman greatly apart. The retooled origin story of some of the Superman characters are not that drastic but of course like any change, comes with a price, and here there are some slight changes, but they seem to be minor yet faithful to the source material. I still get a kick that Grant is trying to build up Brainiac, we know its him, there is no denying that fellow readers, Brainiac is becoming Superman’s first big baddy and how befitting, the smartest intelligence in the entire universe against the paragon of true and justice, Logic versus free will, these two characters are perfect contrasts to one another that I cannot wait to see how Morrison provides us with a new takeoff of an old enemy.
Artwork: The art by Rags Morales has been very fitting with Grant Morrison. The cover features Superman caught in a crowd of anti-alien protesters, it kind of a Marvel themed title but doesn’t seem to be that bad, the crowd is well done and the various protest signs are clever. The best thing about his artwork is the stylistic redesign of the people of Krypton, including Krypto who does look a bit different but that could be his Kryptonian form.
Grade: A-
Week #2- November 9th, 2011
Journey into Mystery #631
Written by Kieron Gillen
Artwork by Whilce Portacio
Story: The world of the Asgardians have been shaken up, Odin has left the throne and left the All-mother in charge (three actually Freyja, Gaea, and Idunn). The new thunder god has arrived, Tanarus, despite being new to the people he is a boastful as any Asgardian. Loki begins to finish up all the deals he has done with many people that he has worked with to take down the Serpent on his end. He meets with the All-mothers to allow Hela to have her old home of Hel back, they agree to it and soon Hela and her minions return to their realm. She leaves behind Leah to be with Loki as a teammate and to learn of the world above in Midgard. Loki returns to meet with the All-mothers who wish him to be a part of a secret plan for Asgard, in return they will keep him safe for the most part. Down in the depths, Surtur begins to forge a blade for a new war that is to come.
Review: Is there anything Gillen cannot do with this title and not make it awesome? The post Fear itself JiM story involving Loki still weary and sad missing out on his Brother being is only true friend. What I enjoy is all the various events that take place with the people f Asgard, many are still mourning but the void seems to have been filled by this new Thunderer, who Loki doesn’t trust. My favorite moments are with the all mothers, the three rulers of Asgard now that Odin has left to watch over his brother. The three women come off as interesting characters and they seem to have an interesting path they wish to take Asgard on that involves Loki. Gillen is getting much better at fleshing out these characters, making them less than side characters and more into characters with depth and definition.
Artwork: The art by Portacio continues to showcase the level of surrealism that the series seems to be aiming for. The cover depicts Loki being pointed at, that is an interesting since it is post Fear Itself and see Loki as the one to blame in some way. The look and feel of the characters and locations are always interesting to look at. The all-mothers are seen in clad in armor to showcase their power rather than wearing normal garbs to showcase their femininity.
Grade: A-
Week #3- November 16th, 2011
Amazing Spider-man #674
Written by Dan Slott
Artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Story: New York City has returned to some level of normality after the events of Spider Island while a mysterious series of high end robberies and deaths are plaguing various penthouses. A group of spider hunter drones go to one only to find Spider-man standing over a dead body. The drones attack but Spider-man makes quick work of them all in seconds thanks to having his Spider sense back. After deactivating the drones, Spider-man heads out to recover from the night. Meanwhile Kingpin is displeased that he has been cured of his Spider gift however he is soon given an opportunity to turn the tide against Spider-man thanks to a mole in Horizon labs. Back over with Peter, he and Carlie meet back up at a coffee shop; they talk about what happened the night prior and call in a truce to be partners in the mysterious deaths. We also see the cause of those deaths, a group of high flying teenagers and young adults, taking one of their new recruits out for a flight. They eventually return to their base and meet up with their ring leader, THE VULTURE.
Review: Well the series has enter a new “status quo” where Spider-man is back to being single, he is seen once again as both hero and villain to some, and an old enemy makes his return, so how does this issue stack up. Well this issue is one fun read and overall one of the best beginnings for an arc. There is a lot of set up and returning elements familiar to the Spider-man universe. The beginning has a great action moment with the Spider hunters showing off his knowledge of every weapon used only to show off a counter to every one of them. I liked the series still has remnants of Spider Island, which many people outside of New York believe it to still be happening and want some of that power. The new “villains” who are nothing more than stooges for Vulture are interesting choices since they are alienated youth seeking power to be considered better people, they are organized yet showing lack of true loyalty due to the deaths. I’m kind of glad that Peter and Carlie have compromised after the prior issue which was a heavy hitting issue for them, I still think they are a good match but what comes after this arc I will embrace. The one aspect I found weird was there was a huge party going on to celebrate post Spider Island, everyone dancing and embracing the fact they are normal again rather than seeing a city reeling from the lack of power would have been more interesting. The moment with Kingpin was alright as well, the big surprise is what he is going to do with a powerful weapon like the Spider sense disrupter. Overall this issue is solid and strong; it has a great build up for what is to come following Spider Island.
Artwork: The artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli is nothing new to the Spider-man books, he worked on the arc involving Anti-venom however compared to Humberto Ramos, and this artwork is such an improvement. Don’t get me wrong, I like the style of Ramos but Camuncoli fits more with Spider-man. The characters and action moments are more detailed and incredibly drawn giving us a nearly pitch perfect style to John Romita Sr.
Grade: A
Week #4- November 23rd, 2011
Justice League Dark #3
Written by Peter Milligan
Artwork by Mikel Janin
Story: The team is slowly coming together as John Constantine finds his former lover Zatanna trapped in a dead like state and wakes her up. Deadman and June Moon team up to get the young girl far away from her former life being trapped in the Enchantress. Shade the Changing Man seeks out another member called Mindwarp under the guidance of Madam Xanadu.
Review: This series is one of the front runners for best team book in not just DC comics but also going up against some of the Marvel team books as well. This is one of the very dark and more mature story telling comics, its light on action but makes up for it in giving us great character development. I have been and always will a huge fan of Zatanna, I loved her series that sadly ended on a mediocre note, but seeing her in this makes her a more intriguing character so far. John Constantine has become the main attraction to the series; he is funny and always knows that he is better than anyone amongst the group. Deadman makes a drastic 180 in this series than in his DCU Present. In this series Boston comes off as a very likeable and sympathetic character, trying to have a living relationship despite being…..well dead. The new character, Mindwarp, is pretty interesting of a character as well as power, not much is really known about him in this story but he will become an integral part of the team. I did hear rumor of Xombi joining the team, I’m so totally hoping this happens. Overall this series is shaping up nice, I love the dark and grim look and feel of it, and the characters are well rounded and full of diversity.
Artwork: The art by Mikel Janin does a great job creating the dark atmosphere of the world and the characters. I don’t hate or dislike some of the character redesigns like Zatanna; she has been in far sillier looking costumes, this one fits the new tone and feel of the story. The parts with Shade the Changing man are very surreal and strange, adding into his character of being weird.
Grade: A-
Week #5- November 30th, 2011
Thunderbolts #166
Written by Jeff Parker
Artwork by Delcan Shalvey
Story: The team has been flung further into the past, this time they are in London England during the time of Jack the Ripper. Mr. Hyde and Satana have left the team to go on a mysterious murder spree while the others, in clothing for the time period, join up with officers of Scotland Yard to track down their “allies”. Meanwhile in the present Luke Cage and the remaining Thunderbolts use a special tracking stone to find where the others are, only to discover they are trapped in the past. Back with the time travelers, they come across Hyde and Satana, who has a bunch of demon women ripping themselves out of her.
Review: I really like this series, I jumped onto the Thunderbolts post siege and ever since I loved the feel of the team, the idea of villains acting as good guys is such a fun idea and the added feature of them jumping backwards in time to various periods is great. Parker does a great job with this aspect, the two tech experts bring up the prospect of altering the timeline by being in these moments of time and will it truly affect the universe. Unless of course these events DID occur but forgotten somehow, when it comes to time travel it can be either a hit or a miss, and here it’s not a home run but Parker got to third base. The moments with Hyde are great, he has been nothing more of a background character up to this point but he truly shines in this issue as a real brute and monster.
Artwork: The return of Shavley who did the a few issues of the Thunderbolts during SHAWDOWLAND was fantastic artwork and he has returned to grace with this issue. The look and feel is very similar to Mignola but has its own style to it. I like the dark and dreary atmosphere of this period, giving you a sense of gloom due to all the mysterious murders. The costume designs for the team are pretty clever to disguise themselves in this period. When we see Luke and the others, the look is much brighter and upbeat. The final page with Satana being ripped apart by demon ladies is amazing, the coloring, the angle, the expression on her face, is one great final page tease.
Grade: A-
Next up is Weeds picks of the Month
Monthly Picks
Week of November 2nd, 2011
Weedbeater’s Pick-
Animal Man #3
Grade: A
Story: The Hunters Three get close and closer to Baker’s family while Baker and Maxine explore the realm of the Red.
Review: As anyone knows who regularly reads my reviews, I am a huge Jeff Lemire fan. All of his work, from the indie comics to the mainstream ones, appeals to me. He takes great care with his wonderful craft, always bringing a guaranteed level of quality that most other comic writers won’t give you. Animal Man continues to play to Jeff Lemire’s strengths, with the family dynamic he brings showing up every now and then and his taste for horror is coming in strongly. He writes heartwarming stuff with believable characters but balances it out with creepy, psychedelic stuff. He gives characters with little personality a lot of personality, and I love his work for it. Hopefully Lemire can keep up the good work in coming issues.
Artwork: Travel Foreman continues to make excellent surrealist, detailed art complemented by the varying shades of red that pop up throughout
Summary: Get on Animal Man now!!!
Week of November 9th, 2011
Weedbeater’s Pick-
Batwoman #3
Grade: B
Story: The mystery of the ghost lady deepens while Kathy Kane develops some more emotional problems
Review: I initially thought the Batwoman book was overrated, seeing as how very little happened in the first issue and the art seemed a little substandard. But my opinion changed with each issue, and now it is one of my favorite series on the market right now. The stories told here have a strong knack for character development to already strong characters. No one gets left behind in the building department. These characters easily feel relatable and they all have distinctive personalities. My main issue with the book is that the pacing of the story is sacrificed for character development therefore we are getting a very slow moving story. Other than that, the writers seem to have a good handle on the character.
Artwork: J.H. Williams draws beautiful artwork here that flows from page-to-page and panel-to-panel. At times it feels smooth and pastel-ish while at other times it flows like regular comic art. Williams mixes both and structures them evenly for amazing artwork not usually coming out of the mainstream books.
Summary: Batwoman is still an incredible book with an incredible team behind it
Week of November 16th, 2011
Weedbeater’s Pick-
Venom #9
Grade: A-
Story: Venom does more work for the government whilst finding himself
Review: Flash Thompson is the only good Venom. There I said it. Every other Venom sucks hard and aren’t worth your time. That being said, the Venom persona has evolved to become something this good, and that’s fine by me. The character has so much more potential to develop even further though, which I’m sure, will happen Rick Remender’s story is building nicely and I think something bad is going to happen to Flash soon that will change the course of the book forever. I just don’t know what else to say, this book is just very good and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character development.
Artwork: This is where the problem lies. Tom Fowler’s detailed, gritty work befitting a book like this is replaced by simple, chalky artwork that damages the book severely. It is extremely unpleasing to the eyes.
Summary: A great issue only hurt by the average-bad art
Week of November 23rd, 2011
Weedbeater’s Pick-
Kick –Ass 2 #5
Story: The Mother[frick]er goes on a rampage and dishes out painful damage to Kick-Ass. Plus, the return of Hit-Girl.
Review: You all know that I love Kick-Ass and will do anything to say good about it. For as much flak as the series gets, it’s extremely fun and violent and it does like it says, it kicks ass. There’s so much violence, gore, language and extremities but it does it all in a playful, fun manner we can all appreciate. Seriously, Millar is the master of the fun, high-concept books that takes you on a thrill ride. It’s practically exploitation but it’s fun exploitation. I love what Millar does and this book can only get more ridiculous. A wonderful issue overall.
Artwork: Romita’s art may be spectacularly simple, but he is a master of conveying emotion in his characters and a master of massive, gore-soaked fight scenes. Romita’s art does get muddy sometimes, but it’s a minor distraction
Summary: A Fun thrill ride for all