ComicCritic87’s weekly comic book reviews
Week of September 28, 2011
Greetings friends and fellow comic book readers and fans, the ever continuing reviews march on. Another batch of DCNU reviews has come in and this is the final week of the new 52 September, overall the success for DC has been tremendous, apparently all 52 series have sold a lot for #1’s but I’m expecting….no, guarantee a good chunk will decline in sales. This week I bring in a new IDW comic, Ghostbusters, based off the hit franchise, this series is to be an ongoing series, rather than previous mini-series comics that were published, how will it fair out, we shall see in a moment.
A note about last week’s Top Pick for DC, which for me was Catwoman, I still stand by my review however I talked with a nerd girl and she said that the sex scene was not a problem, its Catwoman and its part of her character, the only problem she saw was the lack of an origin story for her, first time readers would think she’s an incompetent thief who sleeps with Batman, rather than a world class thief who sleeps with Batman. I agreed with her assessment and it was a good point, yet many other titles feel like you had to know the character before the reboot. Anyway, it’s always good to hear another smart and logical perspective on comics and not the typical attack it got for nothing.
On the Marvel front we have the Spider Island event progressing forward and I have been enjoying it very much, so far I can’t see how it ends, which is always a good thing. Also this new Point One foundation coming in 2012 is highly intriguing with Nova and Ultrons being clues, my money is the Ultron War or the cosmic characters will be returning to Earth in a big way. We got a nice sized amount this week, let’s begin…..
Comics this week
DC Comics: Aquaman #1, Flash #1, Justice League Dark #1, Superman #1, Teen Titans #1
Marvel Comics: Amazing Spider-man #670, Avengers Academy #19, FF #9, Journey into Mystery #628, Kick-ass 2 #4, Mighty Thor #6, Secret Avengers #17, Venom #17, Wolverine #16
Other Comics: Ghostbusters #1, Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters #7
Top Picks of the Week
DC Comics: Aquaman #1 Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: Ivan Reis
Abridged Story: Aquaman heads into a city to stop fleeing robbers and stops them with ease, he leaves and heads to a restaurant that serves sea food and gets something to eat to the shock of the customers. One talks to Aquaman about how he is considered to be the laughing stock of Heroes. Aquaman leaves and meets up with Mera, they share a kiss as they decide to leave their sea home and embrace the land. Meanwhile strange creatures from the deep have come up seeking food and find fishermen.
Review: This series was easily one of the biggest curiosity of the entire 52 reboots, because lets face it, Aquaman is pretty much the most made fun of DC superhero, no matter how many times they try to make him be a “Bad-ass” he always end up becoming a laughing stock, which I believe we have to thank modern pop culture for doing that. However, Geoff Johns takes full advantage of this, and spins it on its head. In this universe its pretty clear that Aquaman is a laughing stock but he doesn’t know about it and can’t accept the fact despite it being told right to his face. What are some better spins on that is that Johns does a great job showing off how heroic he is, despite his look. Also they do a great job explaining how he “talks” to the fish, he actually pushes them in his direction to more or less exploit them, except dolphins, they are different. The mystery creatures are looking to be an interesting foe for Aquaman.
Artwork: Ivan Reis does an amazing job with this artwork. The cover features Aquaman in a battle pose with various dark sea creatures around him. The interior artwork is top notch. The moments with the dark creatures, are dark and grungy, whereas the moments with Aquaman are bright and shiny.
Grade: A-
Marvel Comics: Mighty Thor #6 Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Oliver Coipel
Abridged Story: The battle has reached its end, the preacher man walks over to Galactus and begs him to spare Earth, it doesn’t work as Thor and Silver Surfer return only to have Mjolnir taken away from him and attaches itself to the Destroyer which causes Galactus to disappear from Earth. Loki succeeds in his quest by dropping the seed back to where it came from and not even Loki knew where it went. Thor storms in and is mad at Loki. Some time passes as the preacher men talks with Silver Surfer, they meet up with the Asgardians and Silver Surfer wishes to keep watch of the seed, while the preacher man is given the power of the herald. Thor apologizes to Loki and all is well again.
Review: Well for the first arc this was quite a great way to end it; there was a nice set amount of buildup, action, and payoff from the first 6 issues. The conclusion to Galactus leaving seemed pretty much rushed, hiding the seed and he leaves, weird since this is the eater of worlds. The moment between Loki and Thor was sad and touching, Loki crying as Thor is mad at him for calling him a liar and a trickster, it’s a sudden and abrupt change since Thor wanted his brother back yet still shows Thor remembering his brother is still known for what he did. The ending with Silver Surfer staying on Earth is a great way to reconnect himself to our world, and of course bringing him into the Defenders once more. The strangest moment was when the preacher man is now the Herald of Galactus.
Artwork: The artwork by Coipel has been top notch as ever since his return to the character. The cover features Galactus in the background, Thor on the side, and the Destroyer walking towards the reading with Thor’s hammer in hand. The inner artwork is just as great as it has been since his return…..however, there is one head scratcher, after the dispute with Loki and Thor, Thor suddenly has a beard, no mention of how much time has passed but somehow Thor is rocking a beard. Other than that this was a nicely drawn issue.
Grade: A
Other Comics: Ghostbusters #1 Writer: Erik Burnham Artist: Dan Schoening.
Abridged Story: A fresh new series, taking place after the events of the first 2 movies, Ray has a strange premonition of an upcoming event while Winston and Peter go investigate an apartment complex being haunted by a very familiar green friend.
Review: If this first issue is any indicator then this series is going to be HILARIOUS, I loved this first issue, every page had great jokes, nods to the movies and even to another movie Dan Akroyd was in. This series pretty much acts like a sequel to movies, has no bearing to the cartoons or the recent video game released (which was fun). The dialogue with all the characters are hilarious, each one says something funny, mostly Peter getting some of the best lines too. It’s pretty much a fan’s comic book, if you loved any form of the Ghostbusters, this will be very much enjoyable and a very lighthearted read.
Artwork: The artwork is pretty much cartoony. The cover features the Ghostbusters in Ecto-1, Peter and Winston firing their proton packs while Egon and Ray are focusing on some mystery creature. As mentioned the artwork is pretty much cartoony, each Ghostbuster seems to be suffering from Jay Leno syndrome (huge chins). This art actually works for it, keeping true to its humor it needs that style of artwork where it’s not to be taken serious, much like the cartoons did (minus the changes in hair or suits), these are exaggerated versions of the actors, you get a nice blend of the live action AND cartoon versions.
Grade: A-
Weakest of the Week: Godzilla Kingdom of Monsters #7 (surprised?.lol.)
Abridged Story: Godzilla does more stomping around, Rodan attacks Paris and Battra, the princesses discover they can control monsters and want big G, the soldier and little girl flee from various situations. Also Ghidorah is summoned.
Review: less annoying human characters but it’s still dull, I feel there is such a huge disconnect between humans and the Monsters, whereas Gangsters and Goliaths properly mixes them. Ghidorah makes it barely worth it.
Artwork: meh, Monsters are better looking this time around
Grade: D-
Quick Reviews
Amazing Spider-man #670: The infection has reached its highest point, people are becoming giant spiders. Jameson brings in Spider-Slayer to help find the source. Anti-venom helps out people and might be the ultimate cure. A fun entry but Jameson really needs to stop being annoying, he is really weighing it down. Artwork is still great. B+
Avengers Academy#19: The team still battles the two hammer villains. Hank and the adults come in and save the day. Veil quits for she has been through. Pretty good issue but it went into another direction I expected. Artwork is still top notch. B-
FF #9: The war continues as a few of the evil Reeds are captured, Dr. Doom gets enslaved by one and flees the battle. Good Reed and his team meet Black Bolt and head back home. This was a fun and solid issue all around. B-
Flash #1: Barry Allen is attending a science convention where it gets under attack by commandos. He changes into the Flash and stops them all, one revealed to be an old friend. This is another one of the best of the reboots, the character is great and the artwork is FANTASTIC. A-
Journey into Mystery #628: Loki and his team infiltrate the lair of the Serpent and hold up in a library where Loki uses a mystical looking pen to rewrite something. A fun action filled issue. Artwork is pure goodness. A-
Justice League Dark #1: Madame Xanadu tells us the tale of each member of this new team coming together as the evil Enchantress defeats the main Justice League. This was a very solid first issue, giving us plenty of time with each character. Artwork is top notch. A
Kick-ass 2 #4:____________________________________________________________ (too disturbing to talk about) B-
Secret Avengers #17: Steve, War Machine, Sharon, and Valkyrie take on a mystery demon truck in Europe. A very fun and intriguing issue, Warren Ellis is a genius with this series. A-
Superman #1: Superman witnesses the Daily Planet being torn down and being rebuilt by a shady owner. He battles a creature made of pure fire. He tries to reconcile with Lois Lane but discovers she is with another man. A true classic 80s style comic, I felt bad for Clark not getting the girl. …. A solid issue still. B+
Teen Titans #1: Tim Drake discovers N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is gathering up super teens, he meets up with Wonder Girl and fights off a Helicopter. Essentially teen Justice League #1, we get a few of the team members assembling but not the full force. Artwork is very good. B-
Venom #7: Venom and Anti-venom battle one another. A really great action filled issue with a somber ending. Artwork is fantastic as ever. A
Wolverine #16: Logan has joined a pack of wolves; they get attacked and taken to a place where they attack people. Logan saves the day, reunites with his former allies and continues being a hero. A lot gets done in this one issue and is done great. Artwork was great. B
Phew, that was fun.lol. Well that is all for now my friends. The 52 are completed; issue 2 is the real test. Take care friends, later…….