DC:
DC PICK OF THE WEEK
Batman #3
Written by: Scott Snyder
Drawn by: Greg Capullo
-Batman #3 was just amazing. It’s almost as if DC designed it to be the best book of the new 52 while remaining in disguise as just another regular bat-book. However, this is not your regular Batman. Sure it has all of the Batman tropes and clichés, but Snyder and Capullo apply that extra push of quality in order to make it stand out from the rest. Snyder writes snappy dialogue including conversations between Batman and Alfred, intimidation of gang members, and interrogations of mayoral candidates. I also like how Snyder is using Bruce as much as he is Batman. Capullo’s art is a combination of TDKR-era Frank Miller and B: TAS-esque Bruce Timm. Capullo draws movement very well and adds little extra touches you don’t get to see in regular bat-books that often like different facial expressions and unique environments. Capullo brings Gotham and Batman to life in a way no one thought he could. Snyder and Capullo are the puppet masters behind the best 52 book of them all. 5/5
MINOR:
Captain Atom #3
Written by: J.T. Krul
Drawn by: Freddie Williams II
-Krul delivers another stand alone story this time guest-starring the Flash. The Flash helps Captain Atom out in Libya and a bunch of solid, if a tad uninteresting stuff happens. I’m not too huge on the artwork anymore but Krul’s dialogue has noticeably improved while his scripting gets worse. Hopefully it picks up from being Dr. Manhattan 2.0 and comes into its own soon. 3/5
DC Universe Presents #3
Written by: Paul Jenkins
Drawn by: Bernard Chang
-Go Boston Brand! While he was a condescending jerk in JL: Dark (great book btw), here he opens up some more of his humanity and sympathy whilst trying to cheat the goddess Rama. I can’t wait to see how Paul Jenkins finishes this, and I love that it’s not a huge action book right now. Chang’s artwork is lovely and subtle with decent coloring to help it. 4/5
Green Lantern Corps #3
Written by: Peter J. Tomasi
Drawn by: Geraldo Borges
-It’s good that GL Corps is moving away from being the “Guy Gardner and John Stewart” show and is actually focusing on the Lantern Corps. We still get a few Guy pages but here it focuses more on developing the corps and how each member is unique in their own way. Borges delivers solid pencils while the coloring only helps improve the work. 4/5
Justice League #3
Written by: Geoff Johns
Drawn by: Jim Lee
-Geoff Johns increases the momentum of the situation for the league as it spreads worldwide. Wonder Woman comes in and is finally likable this time around and she does a bunch of badass stuff. Jim Lee’s art is incredible especially on the splash pages. Also, Aquaman confirmed for ALPHA. 4/5
Nightwing #3
Written by: Kyle Higgins
Drawn by: Eddy Barrows
-Nightwing finally picks up the pace and builds back-story while simultaneously progressing forward. I look forward to seeing more of Barrow’s art and Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing again. 3.5/5
Red Hood and the Outlaws #3
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Drawn by: Kenneth Rocafort
-Red Hood just gets better every month. Lobdell took in fan criticism and applied it here for solid character development. Roy gets a sad moment, Kori gets a hopeful moment, and Jason Todd gets one of the sweetest moments in comic book history. Lobdell’s writing has improved on this book and every month it steps away from the misogyny of the first issue. Rocafort’s art is excellent as well, rendering the aforementioned moments believable and the action scenes wonderful. 4/5
MARVEL:
MARVEL PICK OF THE WEEK:
Venom #9
Written by: Rick Remender
Drawn by: Stefano Caselli
-Venom used to be an awful, extremely crappy book in the 90’s that was part of the new EXTREEEMME movement in comics. Admittedly he was a cool character, but man there was little to no storyline involving depth for the character. Carnage was worse than Venom. Now that the 90’s movement is over, Marvel has started to write good Venom stories. With Flash Thompson as Venom, the character has more depth and a better gimmick to work with. Rick Remender’s writing is the strong point of this book, as he redefines Venom and Flash Thompson gradually throughout the story. The new artist isn’t very impressive at all, and the book is missing Tom Fowler’s gritty pencils and detailed line work. 4.5/5
MINOR:
Captain America #4
Written by: Ed Brubaker
Drawn by: Steve McNiven
-I’m not as big a fan of Brubaker as everyone else is, but did enjoy his Batman work. He works a little of his so-called magic here but I ultimately don’t care about Captain America enough to really give a hoot. McNiven dazzles us with more amazing artwork similar to the level of detail he showed on Nemesis. 3.5/5
Punisher #5
Written by: Greg Rucka
Drawn by: Marco Checchetto
-Marvel books are just moving really slowly this month, and Punisher was no exception. I liked that the issue focused more on character building rather than straight up violence like the Punisher is usually known for. There are some heartwarming scenes with a little kid. The book is really slow though. 4/5
Ultimate X-Men #3
Written by: Nick Spencer
Drawn by: Paco Medina
-Medina’s art on Ultimate X-Men ranges from great to god-awful with lots of blocky looking backgrounds but detailed character designs. The writing moves pretty slowly but I guess a certain build-up is needed for this book to move on to big things. 3/5
IMAGE:
Severed #4
Written by: Scott Snyder
Drawn by: Attila Futaki
-Scott Snyder delivers us another superbly crafted, slow-paced horror story with real drama and tension. It’s engaging, quality and the chalky art is really nice. 4/5
Walking Dead #91
Written by: Robert Kirkman
Drawn by: Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
-The book kind of feels like it’s plodding now but the Walking Dead continues to build towards epic stuff in glorious black-and-white. 3.5/5