Hey friends, well I bet you are all surprised that I once again changed my name. TO be honest I sort have gone through a change over the time I been on here. For one the name Aki is actually Japanese for Autumn, which I feel makes no sense here for the most part being a comic book site, also I'm not a Fall Birthday, that's in the winter. Second, I feel that I'm a critic, I review things and study the potentially of new and up coming comic book news. Alright with all that said and done lets get to this weeks batch of comic issues. This weeks reviews is only 4, but all are on my recommendation list. Today I will be reviewing Amazing Spider-man #643, Brightest Day #10, THUNDERBOLTS #148, and Zatanna #5. Lets begin shall we...
Amazing Spider-man #643: Origin of the Species part 2
Story: Following right after part 1, Spider-man and friends are being choked by Doc Ock who has captured the newborn. Spider-man find a way out of the tendril and makes a break with the child and heads for a nearby hospital. However he is quickly spotted by a local news copter and is shown to be carrying the baby all over the news. Meanwhile, MJ, Harry, and Carlie tend to Lily who warns them that they must find her child because she and her new son are in grave danger. As Spider-man reaches the hospital he is attacked by Electro, while trying to escape from him, Sand-man attacks Spider-man also. Spider-man then fools the two to strike at the same time and causes a really cool double take down. The issue ends on a cliffhanger with Doc Ock looking over monitors saying that in a city full of cameras, Spider-man can not escape.
Review: Now this was a really great issue from beginning to end. The entire plot keeps moving while giving us plenty of breathing room. The chase around the city while being chased by dozens of Spider-man's greatest foes is a well thought out story thus far. We get no glimpse of Peter out of costume due to his new handicap of being watched pretty much everywhere and not a moments peace. My favorite moment was when Spider-man was able to trick Sand-man and Electro to attack one another. I liked the split between Peter's story and his friends story. It seems that the team behind this arc is developing the Carlie character, she tries to find peter, who isn't under the rubble, and was taken captive, so we will see her enter this greater battle without say. Still no word or hint on who the main culprit behind all this is but that's whats good about an arc like this, it could be anyone, but it better not be a cop out...again.
Artwork: While its still the weird and odd design from the last issue, its actually much better here because it seems much more touched up. The look of Spider-man and the various villains are well drawn and even of the of the facial art of the secondary characters look much better. So whatever Azaceta did from one issue to another, made it much better than the last.
Grade: An improved artwork style and upping the ante with an increasing tension of the arc earns this issue an A-.
Brightest Day #10: A Change is Gonna Come
Story: The story is split between Firestorm discovering the true origins of the Matrix they have been bonded too. The young boys are told by Professor Stein that the Matrix is the equivalent to the Big Bang and that they must not cause any emotional distress to each other or else they will trigger a new Big Bang and restart the universe. As they discover this, the Black Lantern Firestorm, now called DEATH-STORM, finds a way to free himself and is whole again. The second half is with the new aqua-lad Jackson Hyde is taken to a local lake bed and his father shows him a treasure chest that holds all the secrets he needs to know. When out of nowhere, BLACK MANTA attacks them. Jackson's adoptive father drives into the lake to protect his son but sacrifices himself. Jackson unleashes his water bending powers and kicks Mantas butt with ease. Then Aqua-man shows up to finish the fight.
Review: BIG REVELATIONS AND MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK....this was a great issue in the Brightest day story. The reveal that Firestorm is the most dangerous being in the entire universe and the fact that Jason and Ronnie have conflicted minds adds to the tension that these two could trigger the end of all things. We finally see how the Black Lantern Firestorm comes into play and it just so happens to come after Stein reveals the true origin and destructive power of the Matrix. The second half dealing with Hyde is a good addition to add into the fray, how convenient since young justice is about to premiere and they showcased him in the show as a member. Still adding him into the main universe is pretty sweet, plus giving him the dark background sets up for a lot of great potential when he becomes a member of either the Titans or the Teen Titans. Johns keeps on adding in some sweet new ideas and characters into this widening universe of heroes and villains.
Artwork: Once again the team behind Brightest Day is doing a spectacular job on this one. The close up with the Matrix revelation was amazing, and the design of the fire arm is amazingly detailed. The Jackson Hyde vs Black Manta fight was well done, we can see which kind of water Jackson can manipulate and seeing the glow on his tattoo is really cool, it gives off a great feeling of an aura present.
Grade: This issue had amazing turns in the ever developing world and characters of DC along with top notch artwork with amazing detail to the tiniest parts, this issue gets an A+
Thunderbolts #148: Lightning in Shadow
Story: Taking place during the events of Shadowland, Luke Cage meets up with Iron Fist and have a quick chat, then Luke Cage grabs a trash can and smashes it into Iron Fist who is revealed to be one of the HAND ninjas. Luke then has a long chat with an old friend. Meanwhile on the Raft, the Thunderbolts team is being harassed by the other prisoners and are called away to armor up and head into Man-thing to Hell's Kitchen. Luke tells them to go into the sewers and take out every single ninja down there. As they head down there, they are ambushed and attacked by all sides. As Mockingbird and Fixer are knocked out, Moonstone gives the signal for the Thunderbolts to go wild.
Review: This is an awesome issue from start all the way to the end. It's great to see them go from the scared straight issue and right into the Shadowland with Luke Cage but of course he lets them loose underground to stay out of sight while Cage deals with Matt. My only one gripe is that the conversation between Luke and the old guy is only three pages but feels longer. We get some good conversation about who ghost really is but he just acts crazy as usual, calling himself a person with Heightened Awareness. So far the set-up for the action is in this issue. We do see some cool moments like seeing Man-thing grab a ninja and melts him and Crossbones saying a witty comeback line. The overall feel of this issue is now showcasing the more brutal members of the Thunderbolts, since Luke, Mockingbird, Fixer, and Mach IV are the “normal” ones, seeing Moonstone, Ghost, Juggernaut, Man-thing, and Crossbones taking out ninjas in their own special way is really awesome, so I can bet #149 is gonna be chocked full of action.
Artwork: looking back on the previous issue I made it out that issue #147 was highly stylized and showcasing some amazing design and artistic, which I still hold it in that regard but here, its still good artwork. The ninjas being taken out is really amazing and the design for Iron Fist is always changing, which happens from artist to artist but here it's shown its a fake tho.
Grade: An amazing set-up for brutal action and gave us some insight in the life on the Raft along with good artwork in the series, this issue gets a B-
Zatanna #5: Double or Nothing
Story: Zatanna manages to defeat the three fired demons with the help of a priest(in Las Vegas?) and a pool of water. She and her cousin Zachary clean up the room. They talk about the good times they had growing up and Zatanna promises to be at his show. Meanwhile a giant demon named Mammon forces a deal with the casino owner to bring him Zatanna's soul or else he will take his. The man uses a dozen magically laced roses makes her swoon over the man and acts out of character and forgets to go see her cousins show. She manages to break the spell and is attacked by zombies and knocked out and is about to be forcefully married.
Review: This is a hard, and I mean hard issue to read. I give this series a lot of praise since Dini has made a great female character stand out of the crowd of typical female tropes, but here, she falls into those but it's due to magic and that to me feels like a cop out. The set-up for her out of character moment could have been well plotted out but felt rushed. Yet seeing her overcome it was a good thing, it didn't take that long. It's nice to see some development with her cousin, and giving us a brief flash back to the old days. Also the random priest in Las Vegas by the pool is a real head scratch moment, and felt totally unnecessary. Again it's all about convenient timing and her being the best sorceress . However Paul Dini keeps Zatanna strong willed and never lets her break character for too long, so I'm letting it slide for now.
Artwork: While Roux is still out for now the person covering is Hardin, who does an equally good style for the title, yet it pales in comparison to Roux who really nailed the character design, feel, and tone of the series.
Grade: A tough read but amazing writing and artwork save it for now, just hope it improves after issue #6. This issue gets a C+, that pains me because Dini is awesome, but this is a slight misstep. Even bad Dini is still good.
So that wraps up this weeks reviews, I hope you all enjoy reading them as much as I like writing them. Also there will be a delay with my next review article, I will be on a small break to relax, so you will see it next Friday.I do have some quick updates on my comic readings. In the coming months new titles but those will be revealed as they come out, here's one at least, I will be reviewing Batman Inc. Til next time, ComicCritic87 OUT!!!!