ComicCritic87’s weekly comic book reviews
Week of August 31, 2011
Greetings friends and fellow comic book readers and fans, the ever continuing reviews march on. This week is a much smaller weak than expected, only 6 issues. There were some .1 issues out this week yet they are comics I read so reading those means nothing to me. This week brings the end of the old DC universe and the arrival of the new DC universe with Flashpoint #5 ending and Justice League #1 storming in, which technically makes September the new 51, but I digress. Also a new series of reviews will be coming shortly, at the end of each month Me and Weedbeater (Destroyer you are more than welcome to join in) are teaming up for a monthly review series where we both review our top 4 picks of the month, 1 comic from each release. In my case it won’t always be the top pick of the week being my choices, they will be from the Quick Review section as well. With all that said, let’s get started……
Comics this week
DC Comics: Flashpoint #5, Justice League #1
Marvel Comics: Amazing Spider-man #668, Mighty Thor #5, and Secret Avengers #16
Other Comics: Rocketeer Adventures #4
Top Picks of the Week
DC Comics: Justice League #1 Written by Geoff Johns and Artwork by Jim Lee
Abridged Story: Set five years in the past, Batman is on the run from law enforcement while he is chasing down a strange figure. He catches up to it and reveals it to be a monster of some kind. Just as Batman is about to be attacked, Hal Jordan arrives and saves Batman. They team up and banter between one another as they find another monster planting a bomb in the Gotham Sewers. It explodes as it gets discovered by the two heroes. Batman and Green Lantern live and head to Metropolis to find Superman, who finds them and challenges them.
Review: Well here we are, the first of the new 52, how does it hold up……pretty good. I enjoyed reading this first issue, I always like issues where the team begins to form, giving us plenty of time to learn about them. This issue is the basic format of that, we are introduced to Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman, each given brief explanations of who they are and what they can do. Also Cyborg is introduced but seen in his human form. The thing bringing them together was spoiled to be DARKSEID, the biggest baddie known in the DCU, how will he fair in this new one will be interesting to see. So far this issue was well paced and Geoff Johns manages to uphold his status as a good writer, he gives each character plenty of minor development time.
Artwork: The cover of the issue features the new main roster of the Justice League. The interior artwork done by Jim Lee is FANTASTIC; Lee does some great detailing with these characters, especially with Green Lantern after the slight blunder he gave him when first shown without a Ring. The “armor” costume of Superman is much more subtle in look than expected. The action moments in the beginning were well paced.
Grade: B+
Marvel Comics: The Mighty Thor #5 Written by Matt Fraction and Artwork by Oliver Coipel
Abridged Story: The battle between Galactus and the Asgardians continue to wage on. Thor and the Silver Surfer fight on Mars but soon interrupted by Sif about the final struggle between Odin and Galactus, both falling to Earth. Meanwhile Volstagg and the Asgardians left behind wage war with the humans who want them gone only to be stopped by Galactus awakening. Loki is also up to some mischief as he goes to the Destroyer and takes its heart, the seed, and takes it back to the World Tree. The preacher man sees Galactus and goes to him, wanting to meet “God”.
Review: Surprisingly this isn’t the ending of the arc; So much happened I thought that this would be a well done conclusion to the Galactus vs Asgardians, yet the issue ends with a small cliffhanger. The fighting between Silver Surfer and Thor was fantastic and Odin vs Galactus ends with an epic head butt. The struggles between these two forces are very great, both are in a sense “godly” beings with great power and neither will wane for the other. Even the Surfer begging to Galactus to give up on this task, the servant telling his lord not to do something is pretty awesome to see, yet Galactus is a being of Habit. The moments with the preacher man and his Christian beliefs are an interesting welcome, seeing how the one thing rarely brought up in comics is religion. Fraction does manage to improve writing for Thor, making the characters talk in that Shakespearean way they were known for.
Artwork: The cover is a mixture of humans and Asgardians, pretty cool and well done. The interior work by Coipel is what makes this series so epic, he continues to impress with the way he draws out the Asgardians and Galactus. The fighting scenes are what make it best.
Grade: A-
Quick Reviews
Amazing Spider-man #668: Peter rallies up people with spider powers to stop the mob attack. He and Carlie begin to team up with their powers. The Jackal continues to work on his sick experiments. Anti-venom enters the fray. Another solid issue, well-paced, full of great opening action and ending on a great cliffhanger, Parker and Carlie are becoming quite a great couple now. Ramos does great artwork with this issue. B+
Flashpoint #5: The Flash and Reverse Flash battle one another as we learn that BARRY was the true culprit of the events, going back to stop his mom from dying is the true cause of the alteration. He goes back to undo it all, changing the world once again but a one where it’s all better. A reasonable conclusion to this, I expected it to go down a different route but enjoyed how it explains the new Universe. The artwork was good throughout. B-
Rocketeer Adventures #4: The conclusion to the Mini-series was fun. The stories were great and pulp in style. The last story in particular was great. The various artworks fit well with each story. B+
Secret Avengers #16: Rogers, Beast, Moon Knight, and Black Widow head into an underground city to stop a powerful time machine from being activated. Written by Warren Ellis, this story was a great departure from Fear Itself, a fun action story this series should have been the focus of. The artwork is done really well. B+
Well that’s all for this week friends. Next week there will be more of my roster of the new 52, which will be on top, stay tuned. Til then, ComicCritic87 out, peace…….