CaptainCanada
Shield of the True North
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2006
- Messages
- 4,608
- Reaction score
- 1
- Points
- 31
The Brave and the Bold #7
I got this because I’m a big Wonder-fan, and so any chance to see George Perez draw her is worth a look, and Mark Waid is writing, so I figured the odds are that it would be a decent read. Of course, Perez just brings back painful memories of how good his Wonder Woman was, and how DC has basically destroyed all the stuff he improved in Volume Three. On the art front, I wasn’t disappointed, although it’s interesting to see Perez draw her with her Dodson-designed costume, and with straight hair. Everything else looks lovely too. Now, onto the story. It’s a pretty straightforward done-in-one story, albeit with the hint of a new recurring villain who will doubtless appear in the future. Wonder Woman finds out the someone has subliminally influenced Power Girl to murder Superman using Red Kryptonite, and the two of them duly investigate and make their way to the Lost Library of Alexandria (which is just hidden, apparently, and the Amazons know where); Wonder Woman prays her way in (which brings up questions about the Gods, given what we know from Amazons Attack, but if this is the start of a general trend of ignoring that, I’m all for it), and they encounter Doctor Alchemy, who uses the Philosopher’s Stone to possess Power Girl, and go do the killing himself. He doesn’t succeed obviously. It’s a decent superhero story, and Diana’s great; my main problem is Power Girl, who seems way too angry here; if this is what she’s always like, I would have real concerns about her leading the JSA.
Captain America #31 (Best of the Week) (tie)
This was a bit slower than the last issue, but still great. Picking up from last issue, Bucky is now the prisoner of the Red Skull, and being reprogrammed by Doctor Faustus to become an assassin; Sharon is now talking with some sort of other personality in her head, and off to join the Red Skull’s side; Sam and Natasha were only stunned, and are now working with Iron Man on what to do next. And the Red Skull makes a public appearance to 2000 Kronas security guards, making a rousing "down with the USA" speech. Most of the issue follows Faustus trying to rewrite the Winter Soldier’s memories, in order to reactivate his old heartless killer persona; to this end, we get a bunch of World War II flashbacks that try to paint Cap and Invaders as traitors, villains, and, ultimately, jerks who abandoned Bucky. At issue’s end, Faustus appears to have succeeded, and commands Bucky to shoot Sharon in the head. He fires, but we don’t see at who; now, the obvious ending is that he shoots Faustus, but I doubt that’s what Brubaker has in mind; I doubt it’s really Sharon, though. But a great and unexpected twist ending. After five issues of doing half and half with Mike Perkins, Steve Epting is back to doing all that art himself, while Perkins goes off to do that "House of M: Avengers" miniseries with Christos Gage. Epting's art is awesome, but there's one panel of the Red Skull in this (during the speech) that looks way too cartoony for my tastes. Otherwise, another great issue of Marvel’s best title.
Checkmate #19 (Best of the Week) (tie)
After an issue of the good guys plotting to bring down "the Wall" for her various misdeeds over the last 18 issues, this issue is Waller striking back at her opponents with all the dirty laundry in her arsenal; first and foremost, she’s got sexy photos of Sasha Bordeaux and Mister Terrific gettin’ it on, and photos of the Black King meeting with the Martian Manhunter in Tel-Aviv last issue. She’s also got the US government at her side, and they plot to purge the other Royals from Checkmate, leaving the Wall in control, since they’d all prefer if Checkmate continued to operate as a purely American agency. Meanwhile, Sasha’s Knight slowly recuperates from being shot by Deadshot, while Jessica Midnight and Fire track down Deadshot; the issue ends with Midnight staring down the barrels of Deadshot’s guns, since Waller gave orders to kill. Eep. We also get more information on August General In Iron, the new Black King’s Bishop. Much like Brubaker on Captain America, Rucka is a master of slow-burn storytelling, and this is coming to a boil. Despite Waller’s skill as a dirty fighter, I can’t imagine her winning, given that it would involve purging much of the book’s regular cast, including Rucka’s pet character Sasha. Bennett’s art is very nice, and suits the title perfectly.
Fables #66
Speaking of slow-build, Fables is a very interesting title when it comes to pacing. It can dally for several issues on stuff that doesn’t seem all that consequential (as it recently did in the mid-50s), and then shift gears and enter the current "Good Prince" arc, which has seen incredible developments over the course of individual issues. At this point, Ambrose (Flycatcher) has set up a huge kingdom within the Adversary’s dominions, and dared the Empire to bring all its military to fight them. Next issue promises the first battle between the armies of the Empire and, well, it’s not at all clear what the Kingdom of Haven is going to do, since the only people going out to meet them are Ambrose and his squire, Trusty John. For the last several issues, Shere Khan and Bluebeard have been scheming behind Ambrose’s back, and that comes to head here with astonishing quickness (and spot of violence the likes of which this series hasn’t had for a good while). And the rest of the Fables continue to watch all these developments in the Magic Mirror like it’s a TV show, except with real stakes; sort of like reality TV, but not appalling, I suppose. This continues to be one of the most dependable titles on the market from month to month.
Justice League of America #14
After the funhouse mirror art from last month, we get Ed Benes back on regular art duties, which is both a blessing and a curse. The action is far more dynamic, and the characters more pleasing to look at, but we also get a two-page spread dominated by an unconscious Wonder Woman displaying what can only be described as the Rack of Ages, with Black Canary’s ass in the background. Now, I like some sexy ladies as much as the next person, but it’s really jarring and doesn’t fit with McDuffie’s fairly straightforward superhero story. But, anyway, the art is what it is, and I prefer it to the stuff we got last issue. As stated before, Dwayne McDuffie’s first arc continues to be a pretty by-the-book superhero story, where the JLA fight a bunch their worst enemies, who are out to take over the world. It’s refreshing after Meltzer’s talkfest, but at the same time I think there could be more done here; but, on it’s own terms, the story is fine.
Mighty Avengers #5
And while we’re on the subject of sexy ladies in superhero comics, the master artist in that particular field, Frank Cho, delivers the goods in another issue of what would be the best Avengers title on the market if it came out more regularly. Anyway, the Mighty Avengers are still fighting Ultron, and Ares’ plan to defeat Ultron is pretty straightforward, although he makes an interesting assumption about Ultron’s physical form (that she’s not entirely machine, since Stark’s body wasn’t, which is actually rational, now that I think about it). It’s a straightforward action story, but I think it’s got more scope than McDuffie’s does (it would make a pretty good Avengers movie story). And, for all the talk about how Bendis doesn’t like Hank Pym, he’s actually quite useful here, and no *****ier than any other Bendis character ever is.
X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #2
Following the emergence of new villains last issue, this issue deals with the aftermath of their arrival. The new Scy’ar Tal villains have been preparing themselves to fight the Shi’ar for one thousand years, ever since the Shi’ar attacked them and drove them from their homeworld, and they’re apparently the original owners of the M’Kraan Crystal. And they have some pretty impressive technology on their side; the leader, Eldest, is able to shrug off Vulcan and Gladiator in physical combat, breaking the latter’s wrist. Most of the issue is just the characters struggling to figure out what to do during the battle, with the closing credits have Vulcan arrive on the Starjammer to propose a team-up against the Scyar’Tal. Yost is a great writer for the X-Men, with strong understanding of their history, and Diaz’s art is very good (better than either Uncanny X-Men or X-Men have at the moment).
I got this because I’m a big Wonder-fan, and so any chance to see George Perez draw her is worth a look, and Mark Waid is writing, so I figured the odds are that it would be a decent read. Of course, Perez just brings back painful memories of how good his Wonder Woman was, and how DC has basically destroyed all the stuff he improved in Volume Three. On the art front, I wasn’t disappointed, although it’s interesting to see Perez draw her with her Dodson-designed costume, and with straight hair. Everything else looks lovely too. Now, onto the story. It’s a pretty straightforward done-in-one story, albeit with the hint of a new recurring villain who will doubtless appear in the future. Wonder Woman finds out the someone has subliminally influenced Power Girl to murder Superman using Red Kryptonite, and the two of them duly investigate and make their way to the Lost Library of Alexandria (which is just hidden, apparently, and the Amazons know where); Wonder Woman prays her way in (which brings up questions about the Gods, given what we know from Amazons Attack, but if this is the start of a general trend of ignoring that, I’m all for it), and they encounter Doctor Alchemy, who uses the Philosopher’s Stone to possess Power Girl, and go do the killing himself. He doesn’t succeed obviously. It’s a decent superhero story, and Diana’s great; my main problem is Power Girl, who seems way too angry here; if this is what she’s always like, I would have real concerns about her leading the JSA.
Captain America #31 (Best of the Week) (tie)
This was a bit slower than the last issue, but still great. Picking up from last issue, Bucky is now the prisoner of the Red Skull, and being reprogrammed by Doctor Faustus to become an assassin; Sharon is now talking with some sort of other personality in her head, and off to join the Red Skull’s side; Sam and Natasha were only stunned, and are now working with Iron Man on what to do next. And the Red Skull makes a public appearance to 2000 Kronas security guards, making a rousing "down with the USA" speech. Most of the issue follows Faustus trying to rewrite the Winter Soldier’s memories, in order to reactivate his old heartless killer persona; to this end, we get a bunch of World War II flashbacks that try to paint Cap and Invaders as traitors, villains, and, ultimately, jerks who abandoned Bucky. At issue’s end, Faustus appears to have succeeded, and commands Bucky to shoot Sharon in the head. He fires, but we don’t see at who; now, the obvious ending is that he shoots Faustus, but I doubt that’s what Brubaker has in mind; I doubt it’s really Sharon, though. But a great and unexpected twist ending. After five issues of doing half and half with Mike Perkins, Steve Epting is back to doing all that art himself, while Perkins goes off to do that "House of M: Avengers" miniseries with Christos Gage. Epting's art is awesome, but there's one panel of the Red Skull in this (during the speech) that looks way too cartoony for my tastes. Otherwise, another great issue of Marvel’s best title.
Checkmate #19 (Best of the Week) (tie)
After an issue of the good guys plotting to bring down "the Wall" for her various misdeeds over the last 18 issues, this issue is Waller striking back at her opponents with all the dirty laundry in her arsenal; first and foremost, she’s got sexy photos of Sasha Bordeaux and Mister Terrific gettin’ it on, and photos of the Black King meeting with the Martian Manhunter in Tel-Aviv last issue. She’s also got the US government at her side, and they plot to purge the other Royals from Checkmate, leaving the Wall in control, since they’d all prefer if Checkmate continued to operate as a purely American agency. Meanwhile, Sasha’s Knight slowly recuperates from being shot by Deadshot, while Jessica Midnight and Fire track down Deadshot; the issue ends with Midnight staring down the barrels of Deadshot’s guns, since Waller gave orders to kill. Eep. We also get more information on August General In Iron, the new Black King’s Bishop. Much like Brubaker on Captain America, Rucka is a master of slow-burn storytelling, and this is coming to a boil. Despite Waller’s skill as a dirty fighter, I can’t imagine her winning, given that it would involve purging much of the book’s regular cast, including Rucka’s pet character Sasha. Bennett’s art is very nice, and suits the title perfectly.
Fables #66
Speaking of slow-build, Fables is a very interesting title when it comes to pacing. It can dally for several issues on stuff that doesn’t seem all that consequential (as it recently did in the mid-50s), and then shift gears and enter the current "Good Prince" arc, which has seen incredible developments over the course of individual issues. At this point, Ambrose (Flycatcher) has set up a huge kingdom within the Adversary’s dominions, and dared the Empire to bring all its military to fight them. Next issue promises the first battle between the armies of the Empire and, well, it’s not at all clear what the Kingdom of Haven is going to do, since the only people going out to meet them are Ambrose and his squire, Trusty John. For the last several issues, Shere Khan and Bluebeard have been scheming behind Ambrose’s back, and that comes to head here with astonishing quickness (and spot of violence the likes of which this series hasn’t had for a good while). And the rest of the Fables continue to watch all these developments in the Magic Mirror like it’s a TV show, except with real stakes; sort of like reality TV, but not appalling, I suppose. This continues to be one of the most dependable titles on the market from month to month.
Justice League of America #14
After the funhouse mirror art from last month, we get Ed Benes back on regular art duties, which is both a blessing and a curse. The action is far more dynamic, and the characters more pleasing to look at, but we also get a two-page spread dominated by an unconscious Wonder Woman displaying what can only be described as the Rack of Ages, with Black Canary’s ass in the background. Now, I like some sexy ladies as much as the next person, but it’s really jarring and doesn’t fit with McDuffie’s fairly straightforward superhero story. But, anyway, the art is what it is, and I prefer it to the stuff we got last issue. As stated before, Dwayne McDuffie’s first arc continues to be a pretty by-the-book superhero story, where the JLA fight a bunch their worst enemies, who are out to take over the world. It’s refreshing after Meltzer’s talkfest, but at the same time I think there could be more done here; but, on it’s own terms, the story is fine.
Mighty Avengers #5
And while we’re on the subject of sexy ladies in superhero comics, the master artist in that particular field, Frank Cho, delivers the goods in another issue of what would be the best Avengers title on the market if it came out more regularly. Anyway, the Mighty Avengers are still fighting Ultron, and Ares’ plan to defeat Ultron is pretty straightforward, although he makes an interesting assumption about Ultron’s physical form (that she’s not entirely machine, since Stark’s body wasn’t, which is actually rational, now that I think about it). It’s a straightforward action story, but I think it’s got more scope than McDuffie’s does (it would make a pretty good Avengers movie story). And, for all the talk about how Bendis doesn’t like Hank Pym, he’s actually quite useful here, and no *****ier than any other Bendis character ever is.
X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #2
Following the emergence of new villains last issue, this issue deals with the aftermath of their arrival. The new Scy’ar Tal villains have been preparing themselves to fight the Shi’ar for one thousand years, ever since the Shi’ar attacked them and drove them from their homeworld, and they’re apparently the original owners of the M’Kraan Crystal. And they have some pretty impressive technology on their side; the leader, Eldest, is able to shrug off Vulcan and Gladiator in physical combat, breaking the latter’s wrist. Most of the issue is just the characters struggling to figure out what to do during the battle, with the closing credits have Vulcan arrive on the Starjammer to propose a team-up against the Scyar’Tal. Yost is a great writer for the X-Men, with strong understanding of their history, and Diaz’s art is very good (better than either Uncanny X-Men or X-Men have at the moment).
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