Comic releases of 4/6/11 and 4/13/11
Greetings once again friends, today is another helping of my comic reviews. This week is a nice sized double week review, a solid 10 issues of reviews. I will be omitting Herc #1 because I have already done my special comic spotlight article on that comic (Read the Article and go buy the comic if you haven’t already), so that will cut my reviews into 9 actually. I did learn a thing or two from my Herc #1 review, and that is I will include the covers of my Top Pick of Marvel and DC….alright let’s get this show on the road.
Comics: Amazing Spider-man Annual #38, Amazing Spider-man #658, Batman and Robin #22, Brightest Day #23, Fear Itself #1, Journey into Mystery #622, Heroes for Hire #5, Superboy #6, and Superman #710
DC comics
Top Pick of the Week
Brightest Day #23
Abridged Story: The White Ring has started to bring all the remaining heroes and villains into Star Forest, the last safe haven on Earth, which is being plagued by chaos and destruction. Dead-man tries to stop the ring from doing any more harm to his friends but just as they are all gathered the destructors form has taken shape and its…..BLACK LANTERN SWAMP THING!.....The ring calls forth and brings back from the dead….again, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and the Hawks; along with Firestorm, they become the physical forms of the elements: Water (Aquaman), Earth aka rock/stone (J’onn), Wind (Both Hawks), and Fire (Firestorm….obviously). The five of them fight back the Black Lantern Swamp Thing, just as the ground beneath the White Lantern tree, raises Earths newest protector, Alec Holland, the human who became Swamp Thing.
Review: Well I’m one to say, I didn’t see this coming. All the buildup, all the characters we have followed, not once was this hinted at, no peep or titter at the prospect of this occurring and this seems like one of those last ditch efforts. This isn’t like when Monarch was spoiled to be Captain Atom and they changed it to Hawk. I have to give credit to DC comics for keeping this pretty much under lock and key until this chapter was released. That being said, this is a pretty solid issue, some might see this issue as a plot dump, but it’s all about the build up to the epic conclusion of Brightest Day. I’m a sucker for these big flashy moments just before the finale; they went all out to reveal that the lantern didn’t kill the heroes but placed them into their elements for this moment in time when they were needed. Johns and Tomasi continue to do a good job at giving us some great dialogue and characters, how will they integrate this newly revived hero will be a huge task, one I can’t wait to see them do.
Artwork: I love this cover; it tells you exactly what is in store for you. It features the elemental forms as previous mentioned, all of them looking bad-ass for the reader, I like that. The rest of the inner artwork is some of the best. The splash page of Black Lantern Swamp Thing does require being on its side but seeing this huge beast is really cool.
Grade: I give this issue a solid A-, it’s been one hell of ride and seeing this makes #24 so worth the wait. The reveal was great, the artwork was great, and it’s all great
Quick Reviews
Batman and Robin #22: The White Knight tries to drown all of Arkham’s inmates, B&R save the day. Good dialogue and action, Artwork was impressive, this issue gets a B+
Superboy #6: Doomsday attacks and beats the crap out of Conner. All action and good dialogue, artwork was stellar, this issue gets an A-
Superman #710: Bruce and Clark reminensce about their first encounter as their alter egos, typical action issue, Bruce cheers up Superman and they learn more. Artwork was mixed but decent. This issue gets a B-
Marvel Comics
Top Comic of the Week
Journey into Mystery #622
Abridged Story: Taking place just before Fear Itself, Loki is having a hard time adjusting to his new life amongst his brethren as he is still seen as the god of Chaos. He comes across a magpie, which helps him unravel a series of hints and clues to discover a hidden chamber to talk to his former self.
Review: This was hard because this week had two strong issues and I just couldn’t pick one over the other, so I simply went with my fave of the two and this was it. While I did enjoy Matt Fractions run on Thor, it’s a literal Godsend that Kieron Gillen is back doing this series under a new name. This is how you do this series justice and I mean it. Gillen combines the breath taking grandeur of fantasy epics and brings in modern influences, making them something totally unique and fresh. The dialogue done by Gillen is so pure and dynamic, that it gives JMS a run for his money. I loved the end of the issue where we see the old Loki and the new one, discussing who they are and what are they to become, this is something I rarely see in comics today and I just love it.
Artwork: The cover is sadly taken over by the FEAR ITSELF logo, but it’s a simple Thor and Loki looking at something off page. The art matches the story and fits so well. It looks like paintings, matching a style similar to Alex Ross. The moments with the two Loki’s is just awesome, the green flame along with the haunting presence of the old Loki looking down at the young in both a condescending and curious manner is very impressive artwork to be seen.
Grade: Alright you call can tell I’m in love with this title, and it’s a must for Thor fans. Gillen was born for Thor, the writing is sharp, the artwork is beautiful, and the series continues to improve. It’s a solid A+
Quick Reviews
Amazing Spider-man Annual #38: Peter comes across a “perfect” world along with Deadpool and Hulk. I found this issue to be weak, not a big fan of it. Artwork was alright. This issue gets a C-
Amazing Spider-man #658: Spider-man teams up with the Fantastic Foundation on his first real assignment. This was a very great issue, full of emotion and action. Artwork has a retro feel to it, which I like. This issue gets an A
Fear Itself #1: Red Skulls daughter discovers one of the Hammers of the Serpent and begins a chain of events that bring forth a God Odin wishes to not be free. Very great build up for just issue #1, artwork was stellar. This issue gets an A
Heroes for Hire #5: Misty Knight and Punisher take care of puppet master. Not a bad issue, fun conclusion to the first arc. Artwork is good. This issue gets a B-
Well this was a fun week; I hope you give these a read, especially with Journey into Mystery. Next week will be a nice sized week, I will finally get a shot at reading Venom, the second printing will be next week, so I can’t wait. Catch you all later, ComicCritic87 OUT!!!!