BOUGHT/THOUGHT Jan 31st
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Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
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Bit of a small week and a strange week for me in which I got twice as many DC books as Marvel, which is rare. I also would have gotten HUNTER/KILLER #11, but my LCS only got 1 copy, so it sold out. I'll either have to hunt Manhattan for it or let it go, which is irksome as I actually was enjoying that series. We'll see what happens.
However, my favorite book of the week was a Marvel one. I won't keep you in suspence, it was ANNIHILATION #6, the ending to Marvel's REAL event, or at least a real event that remembers that it is telling a story about superHEROES, and not a variety of flawed, bickering children amidst a plotline that at times contradicts itself.
As always, the "spoilers" have been unlocked.
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 1/31/07:
52 WEEK #39: Man, I wish this weekly thing had been shorter if it'd waited until about the third act to really start heating up. One oddity was that one tagger on the cover: "Montoya fights a Dragon!" -- that doesn't happen in this issue. We have appearences from Ralph & Fate, the Black Marvels, and the docs at Oolong Island as B-Plots, but no Montoya. And frankly I didn't mind the rest, because the A-plot was plenty rivetting. Natasha and Jake track down the head scientist for the "everyman" project, only moments before he blows himself up and takes most of his lab with him. Trying to peer into Lex's "secret room", Nat finally learns the truth about her new beau; he's really dead, and Everyman/Hannibal has been impersonating him. The final rub? Luthor's men have been LYING about him being "incompatable" the whole time, and apparently that bit was a whole act from him. He's secretly been remade into a metahuman, who of course is on par with Superman (an enemy he hated, yet envied his power). In a way it seemed abrupt, a sort of "oh, well" sort of explaination for weeks and weeks of development and testing all for an elaborate ruse, but it was a twist. The promo for next issue promises that Steel, naturally, won't be very happy, and I can't wait for that showdown. And is "glom" a word? Anyway, the B-Plots are were interesting; Ralph meets an insane Aquaman and sacrifices his wedding ring to get the last mystical artifact, Isis, Sobek and Adam discuss Osiris as some rain ultimately causes their gardens to die, Doc Magnus has apparently remade Mercury as the Horsemen leave to do whatever it is Horsemen do, and Dr. Sivana reveals he used Mr. Mind to literally "grow" time, which doesn't make sense anywhere else but comic books. But it was that A-Plot, and the promise of a Steel showdown, that got me pumped. DC may be a loss to compete for sales when this series ends in 3 months, but at least it looks to go down with a bang! Mr. Terrific II gets the origin section, and it's well drawn and done. 52 rarely disappoints, although these 4+ issues have really hit it into high gear, wrapping up the plotlines one by one. Hopefully it ends well. After all this we need a satisfying ENDING, not an anti-climax or a "would your be interested in buying [INSERT MINI OR ONGOING HERE]". So, Morrison, Rucka, Johns and Giffen, be warned.
BATMAN & THE MAD MONK #6: Mini's can be great, as soon as you start to grow weary of them, they end. Of course, unlike SECRET SIX, I actually enjoyed Matt Wagner's "Dark Moon Rising" stuff a bit. Sure, sure, MONSTER MEN was superior. And he relies on some incredibly cheesy post-Miller lines and narration (one panel literally has two characters' narration almost clashing with each other). And some people might prefer Year 3 Batman stories where he battles mobsters and "freaks", not vampires. But I enjoy the tone, the art, yes, even the gritty lines, and the savvy-but-not-overpowered Batman. There are some tense sequences and the usual gorey fights. However, the ending is anti-climatic, and overdone, a major no-no. After meeting atop the roof of a castle, Mad Monk gets hit by lightening and falls. HOW MANY DAMNED TIMES HAVE WE SEEN THIS!? In both comics, TV, and movies? Too damn often. The only way it could have been any more "generic" would have been if Mad Monk fell off into some water, and we watched him plummet with a sky shot. Julie, no longer a vamp, outfights the monk's gothic hench-wench and she accidentally stabs herself with her own knife, which looked awkward. Julie becomes yet another heroine in a long list to learn Batman's identity, freak out and then conviently leave Gotham or vanish into the sunset somehow, which is ANOTHER god-aweful cliche. So as much as I have enjoyed Wagner's style with Batman, I can't overlook these flaws, so I could say that while this issue is technically sound, it embraces mediocre, generic endings we have seen elsewhere dozens of times. I'd actually consider buying a third Wagner "Dark Moon" mini, although the $3.50 pricetag is still annoying, and as this work is inferior to the first, a third may dip even lower, especially with most of the subplot threads resolved. A guilty pleasure, but a definately underwhelming finish.
BLUE BEETLE #11: Enjoyable generic superheroics, but it's no surprise that this book is tumbling down the Top 100 with no end in sight. It does nothing wrong, but it lacks that "juice" to set it above the pack and break free from being "Teen Superhero Comic #4567", even if said comic has enjoyable dialogue and stars. I enjoy each issue I read, but I really don't "hunger" for each issue and I could see myself losing interest and not bothering with another issue to save cash. Jamie wraps up his adventure with Lonar, Metron and the hostile offworld just as La Dama and his buddie crack the Mother Box and seek their own rescue attempt. Albuquerque does the art and while not as good as Cully Hamner, he's better than their last fill-in. Rogers also pens the writing chores solo and again the tone of the book remains the same, which is good. It is why co-writers can work. When one, especially the "bigger name" one (as Giffen would be) gets swamped, his partner can take over and the book really feels no different because they've been at it for a while. So there are so snarky lines, some smashing, and whatnot, and it's all fine. But that may be the book's problem, especially as it nears the end of it's first year, and even by DC standards may not last another. It was at it's peak doing awkward IC tie-ins, then spent way too long chasing Jamie's origins (admist some bad fill-in art) and now is doing rather generic adventures. Like I said, I like superheroes and I like the cast here so it is fine and dandy, just lacks that pop that makes a book indespensible. I suppose it would be unfair to dump this book while staying on a trainwreck like USM, but we'll see.
JLA CLASSIFIED #33: Considering how beloved Slott is around here, amazing that more people aren't reading his mysterious JLA CLASSIFIED arc. It also is weird that Marvel hasn't signed him an exclusive deal yet; maybe if/when THE INTITATIVE hits, they will. In truth, #32 was more amusing in focusing on the origin of Profitt/Red King, and Jurgen's art seemed rushed in some panels. But it is still good, enjoyable stuff. Red King has used Dr. Destiny's dream/reality gem to attempt to take over the world and make the perfect life via playing the laws of averages, and now he only has 3 realities left to play with to try to take over the world, and all revolve around beating the JLA. In this world, he uses his guise as the Red King to gain the trust of the League and the world, while secretly manipulating the villianous Royal Flush Gang into being unknowing pawns. He even seems a lock to win the effects of Wonder Woman, and not even Batman hates him! Slott seems at home with the campier, more superhero-genre embracing DC, but in a way some of these issues do resemble some of his old "DCU ANIMATED" type comics; a little too light and filler. Or maybe that is what CLASSIFIED is, I never read it before. Next month comes another reality, and I am interested in how Slott wraps up. He's obviously having a ball playing with the JLA and his own villian, even reuses Flatman's schtick of "being invisible if one is flat and turned at an angle". In some ways the JLA, particularly Superman, get "pwned" too easily, but it seems to even out and I trust Slott. This is a random, continuity free adventure, is it not? Go with the flow. Not essential, but a usual fun Slott ride. Even if the villian in some ways is a bit generic, right down to his design.
ANNIHILATION #6: This is a mini that I wish could never end, and is the shining jewel of the week for me, in that Mighty Marvel Fashion. Say what you will about CIVIL WAR, the promotion of this "red headed stepchild" event, and even Joe Q's interview skills; for an EIC who has admitted "not getting" space heroes, he and his company put out one helluva space event, that is worthy to be remembered for some time. Great art, good writing, and only 1-2 issues were late! It also was an event, thanks in no small part to old school vet Giffen, that remembers what the audience expects to see, and then provides it efficiently and effectively, rather than going for "shock and outrage" like CIVIL WAR is. It also is the first crossover event in recent memory where the forces of good convincingly prevail. They take their lumps, sure; between the tie-ins and the first third of the mini, there was plenty of loss, beatings, and deaths (including of longstanding characters like Red Shift or Quasar). Were it a mainstream Marvel event, like HOUSE OF M or DISSASSEMBLED or probably CIVIL WAR, that is how it would have ended; loss, pain, shock, and agony. Not in ANNIHILATION. Here, unlikely heroes rose themselves from the dirt, dug in their heels and REFUSED to be defeated. Could we have said in Jan 31st, 2006 that Nova, Drax, Ronan and Super-Skrull would become instant bad-arses? While many Marvel writers & editors seem to thrive on going AGAINST fan expectations even at the cost of a triumphant story, ANNIHILATION makes no pretensions. No, here you get good vs. evil, damn it, because it still works.
After Drax got to ice Thanos, and Ronan got to smash his F'ing hammer on Ravenous's skull, this issue has Nova (and to some degree Phyla, alternate reality daughter of Capt. Marvel and sometime user of that name) eke out his own "moment of awesomeness" as he finally gets his suicidal rematch with Annihilus in a desperate bid to end the war, or at least rid the wave of it's core leadership. Technically, this is a rematch; he battled Annihilus alongside Quasar in his own mini, and Annihilus absorbed Wendall, bands and all, killing him (as well as scarring Rich across the face with his claws). The event in the prelude in a way began with the Wave destroying the Nova Corps and leaving Nova on the brink of death, and it ends with Nova, also near that brink. But the first scenes of pwnage would come from Galactus & Surfer, who LITERALLY unleash the anger of an omnipotent, cosmic being against the Wave, wiping out at least 64% of the Wave and leaving plenty of big crumbs for Ronan & his Kree to attack. DiVito, a modern day Perez and having been solid all mini long, turns in some great artwork of Galactus unleashed. But the final round goes to Nova & Co. as they finally stare down Annihilus, and Nova shows no fear; initially getting beat down with an Annihilus empowered by Negative Zone energies and the Quantum Bands, Galactus weakened him and Phyla takes the bands away, but it takes Nova summoning the last of his strength to literally RIP OUT ANNIHILUS' GUTS FROM HIS THROAT! Okay, I'll admit that after the Drax/Thanos and Ronan/Ravenous "moments", you could argue that it was third verse, same as the first. But I still enjoyed the hell out of it, especially Nova's "this is for the Corps" bellow. Yes, yes, he's in many ways a ripoff Green Lantern, but at least he's doing it WELL now. The series also wraps up loose ends and sets up a status quo; Ronan & Ravenous (now a cyborg) hash out a truce, where Ronan has Hala but Ravenous has his own world, an army of bugs and a new Annihilus maggot. Thanos is now side-by-side with Death, seemingly finally winning her love and acceptance into her realm. Phyla wants to carry on Quasar's work now that she has his bands. And Nova has many worlds to manage in a power vaccum and potential "cold war". Galactus hungers and the Surfer is again his herald. Plenty of bits left for Nova's next ongoing, an outcome we really couldn't have predicted in Jan. 2006. Definately a successeful, enjoyable series that was the antidote for a lot of the bitterness that CW has brought. Buy the trade.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #38: Still the best Ultimate ongoing right now (I refuse to count ULTIMATES 2, an "ongoing" that ships 2-3 issues a year) by process of elimination, Carey & Ferry complete their first 6 part arc. Unlike USM, which is collapsing under Bendis burnout, and ULTIMATE XM, which has been shakey as Kirkman tries to figure out what he is doing on that title with the X-Men, Carey's initial solo arc (beyond the annual and some 2 issue tales) floundered because it was too ambitious in a way, which isn't a bad way to fail. It also seeks a finale simular to ANNIHILATION, a big ol' cosmic brawl, but despite Ferry doesn't pull it off as well. It is a nice fight between the Four, their extra-dimensional allies from Acheron with weirdo names like "Fountain" or "Tesseract", and Ultimate Ronan (son of a very Darkseid-esque Ultimate Thanos) who is nearly unbeatable with his "universal weapon". Between merging Midtown and Acheron for one scene to rattling off battle strategies, the chapter suffers from just too much jargon at once, which has plagued the entire arc. Ellis did a simular "exploration" story (the Four go somewhere, something nasty comes back, fight ensues), but his problem was decompression; Carey's is the opposite, overcramming. The Four barely seem like the stars of their own book. The final battle is over the top and Ferry does well on art, but by the time it was over, my head hurt and the last minute "twist" I really didn't need (after refusing to build the object Thanos wanted, apparently Thanos has posessed Reed and he is doing exactly that), but likely will fuel the next arc. The Four are generic as "superheroes" like the Ultimates and I like that Carey wants them to explore other worlds and fight otherworldly threats. Really, the FF is the place to do that. He just needs to not overcram with random characters like some post-Claremont story, not drown you in sci-fi babble, and remember the Four are the stars. Carey's last, shorter works didn't have these problems so maybe it was the result of thinking too big with 6 issues (the length of his last UFF stories combined). An awkward start, but there is some hope Carey will improve. He's no Millar on this book, though.
However, my favorite book of the week was a Marvel one. I won't keep you in suspence, it was ANNIHILATION #6, the ending to Marvel's REAL event, or at least a real event that remembers that it is telling a story about superHEROES, and not a variety of flawed, bickering children amidst a plotline that at times contradicts itself.
As always, the "spoilers" have been unlocked.
DREAD'S BOUGHT/THOUGHT for 1/31/07:
52 WEEK #39: Man, I wish this weekly thing had been shorter if it'd waited until about the third act to really start heating up. One oddity was that one tagger on the cover: "Montoya fights a Dragon!" -- that doesn't happen in this issue. We have appearences from Ralph & Fate, the Black Marvels, and the docs at Oolong Island as B-Plots, but no Montoya. And frankly I didn't mind the rest, because the A-plot was plenty rivetting. Natasha and Jake track down the head scientist for the "everyman" project, only moments before he blows himself up and takes most of his lab with him. Trying to peer into Lex's "secret room", Nat finally learns the truth about her new beau; he's really dead, and Everyman/Hannibal has been impersonating him. The final rub? Luthor's men have been LYING about him being "incompatable" the whole time, and apparently that bit was a whole act from him. He's secretly been remade into a metahuman, who of course is on par with Superman (an enemy he hated, yet envied his power). In a way it seemed abrupt, a sort of "oh, well" sort of explaination for weeks and weeks of development and testing all for an elaborate ruse, but it was a twist. The promo for next issue promises that Steel, naturally, won't be very happy, and I can't wait for that showdown. And is "glom" a word? Anyway, the B-Plots are were interesting; Ralph meets an insane Aquaman and sacrifices his wedding ring to get the last mystical artifact, Isis, Sobek and Adam discuss Osiris as some rain ultimately causes their gardens to die, Doc Magnus has apparently remade Mercury as the Horsemen leave to do whatever it is Horsemen do, and Dr. Sivana reveals he used Mr. Mind to literally "grow" time, which doesn't make sense anywhere else but comic books. But it was that A-Plot, and the promise of a Steel showdown, that got me pumped. DC may be a loss to compete for sales when this series ends in 3 months, but at least it looks to go down with a bang! Mr. Terrific II gets the origin section, and it's well drawn and done. 52 rarely disappoints, although these 4+ issues have really hit it into high gear, wrapping up the plotlines one by one. Hopefully it ends well. After all this we need a satisfying ENDING, not an anti-climax or a "would your be interested in buying [INSERT MINI OR ONGOING HERE]". So, Morrison, Rucka, Johns and Giffen, be warned.
BATMAN & THE MAD MONK #6: Mini's can be great, as soon as you start to grow weary of them, they end. Of course, unlike SECRET SIX, I actually enjoyed Matt Wagner's "Dark Moon Rising" stuff a bit. Sure, sure, MONSTER MEN was superior. And he relies on some incredibly cheesy post-Miller lines and narration (one panel literally has two characters' narration almost clashing with each other). And some people might prefer Year 3 Batman stories where he battles mobsters and "freaks", not vampires. But I enjoy the tone, the art, yes, even the gritty lines, and the savvy-but-not-overpowered Batman. There are some tense sequences and the usual gorey fights. However, the ending is anti-climatic, and overdone, a major no-no. After meeting atop the roof of a castle, Mad Monk gets hit by lightening and falls. HOW MANY DAMNED TIMES HAVE WE SEEN THIS!? In both comics, TV, and movies? Too damn often. The only way it could have been any more "generic" would have been if Mad Monk fell off into some water, and we watched him plummet with a sky shot. Julie, no longer a vamp, outfights the monk's gothic hench-wench and she accidentally stabs herself with her own knife, which looked awkward. Julie becomes yet another heroine in a long list to learn Batman's identity, freak out and then conviently leave Gotham or vanish into the sunset somehow, which is ANOTHER god-aweful cliche. So as much as I have enjoyed Wagner's style with Batman, I can't overlook these flaws, so I could say that while this issue is technically sound, it embraces mediocre, generic endings we have seen elsewhere dozens of times. I'd actually consider buying a third Wagner "Dark Moon" mini, although the $3.50 pricetag is still annoying, and as this work is inferior to the first, a third may dip even lower, especially with most of the subplot threads resolved. A guilty pleasure, but a definately underwhelming finish.
BLUE BEETLE #11: Enjoyable generic superheroics, but it's no surprise that this book is tumbling down the Top 100 with no end in sight. It does nothing wrong, but it lacks that "juice" to set it above the pack and break free from being "Teen Superhero Comic #4567", even if said comic has enjoyable dialogue and stars. I enjoy each issue I read, but I really don't "hunger" for each issue and I could see myself losing interest and not bothering with another issue to save cash. Jamie wraps up his adventure with Lonar, Metron and the hostile offworld just as La Dama and his buddie crack the Mother Box and seek their own rescue attempt. Albuquerque does the art and while not as good as Cully Hamner, he's better than their last fill-in. Rogers also pens the writing chores solo and again the tone of the book remains the same, which is good. It is why co-writers can work. When one, especially the "bigger name" one (as Giffen would be) gets swamped, his partner can take over and the book really feels no different because they've been at it for a while. So there are so snarky lines, some smashing, and whatnot, and it's all fine. But that may be the book's problem, especially as it nears the end of it's first year, and even by DC standards may not last another. It was at it's peak doing awkward IC tie-ins, then spent way too long chasing Jamie's origins (admist some bad fill-in art) and now is doing rather generic adventures. Like I said, I like superheroes and I like the cast here so it is fine and dandy, just lacks that pop that makes a book indespensible. I suppose it would be unfair to dump this book while staying on a trainwreck like USM, but we'll see.
JLA CLASSIFIED #33: Considering how beloved Slott is around here, amazing that more people aren't reading his mysterious JLA CLASSIFIED arc. It also is weird that Marvel hasn't signed him an exclusive deal yet; maybe if/when THE INTITATIVE hits, they will. In truth, #32 was more amusing in focusing on the origin of Profitt/Red King, and Jurgen's art seemed rushed in some panels. But it is still good, enjoyable stuff. Red King has used Dr. Destiny's dream/reality gem to attempt to take over the world and make the perfect life via playing the laws of averages, and now he only has 3 realities left to play with to try to take over the world, and all revolve around beating the JLA. In this world, he uses his guise as the Red King to gain the trust of the League and the world, while secretly manipulating the villianous Royal Flush Gang into being unknowing pawns. He even seems a lock to win the effects of Wonder Woman, and not even Batman hates him! Slott seems at home with the campier, more superhero-genre embracing DC, but in a way some of these issues do resemble some of his old "DCU ANIMATED" type comics; a little too light and filler. Or maybe that is what CLASSIFIED is, I never read it before. Next month comes another reality, and I am interested in how Slott wraps up. He's obviously having a ball playing with the JLA and his own villian, even reuses Flatman's schtick of "being invisible if one is flat and turned at an angle". In some ways the JLA, particularly Superman, get "pwned" too easily, but it seems to even out and I trust Slott. This is a random, continuity free adventure, is it not? Go with the flow. Not essential, but a usual fun Slott ride. Even if the villian in some ways is a bit generic, right down to his design.
ANNIHILATION #6: This is a mini that I wish could never end, and is the shining jewel of the week for me, in that Mighty Marvel Fashion. Say what you will about CIVIL WAR, the promotion of this "red headed stepchild" event, and even Joe Q's interview skills; for an EIC who has admitted "not getting" space heroes, he and his company put out one helluva space event, that is worthy to be remembered for some time. Great art, good writing, and only 1-2 issues were late! It also was an event, thanks in no small part to old school vet Giffen, that remembers what the audience expects to see, and then provides it efficiently and effectively, rather than going for "shock and outrage" like CIVIL WAR is. It also is the first crossover event in recent memory where the forces of good convincingly prevail. They take their lumps, sure; between the tie-ins and the first third of the mini, there was plenty of loss, beatings, and deaths (including of longstanding characters like Red Shift or Quasar). Were it a mainstream Marvel event, like HOUSE OF M or DISSASSEMBLED or probably CIVIL WAR, that is how it would have ended; loss, pain, shock, and agony. Not in ANNIHILATION. Here, unlikely heroes rose themselves from the dirt, dug in their heels and REFUSED to be defeated. Could we have said in Jan 31st, 2006 that Nova, Drax, Ronan and Super-Skrull would become instant bad-arses? While many Marvel writers & editors seem to thrive on going AGAINST fan expectations even at the cost of a triumphant story, ANNIHILATION makes no pretensions. No, here you get good vs. evil, damn it, because it still works.
After Drax got to ice Thanos, and Ronan got to smash his F'ing hammer on Ravenous's skull, this issue has Nova (and to some degree Phyla, alternate reality daughter of Capt. Marvel and sometime user of that name) eke out his own "moment of awesomeness" as he finally gets his suicidal rematch with Annihilus in a desperate bid to end the war, or at least rid the wave of it's core leadership. Technically, this is a rematch; he battled Annihilus alongside Quasar in his own mini, and Annihilus absorbed Wendall, bands and all, killing him (as well as scarring Rich across the face with his claws). The event in the prelude in a way began with the Wave destroying the Nova Corps and leaving Nova on the brink of death, and it ends with Nova, also near that brink. But the first scenes of pwnage would come from Galactus & Surfer, who LITERALLY unleash the anger of an omnipotent, cosmic being against the Wave, wiping out at least 64% of the Wave and leaving plenty of big crumbs for Ronan & his Kree to attack. DiVito, a modern day Perez and having been solid all mini long, turns in some great artwork of Galactus unleashed. But the final round goes to Nova & Co. as they finally stare down Annihilus, and Nova shows no fear; initially getting beat down with an Annihilus empowered by Negative Zone energies and the Quantum Bands, Galactus weakened him and Phyla takes the bands away, but it takes Nova summoning the last of his strength to literally RIP OUT ANNIHILUS' GUTS FROM HIS THROAT! Okay, I'll admit that after the Drax/Thanos and Ronan/Ravenous "moments", you could argue that it was third verse, same as the first. But I still enjoyed the hell out of it, especially Nova's "this is for the Corps" bellow. Yes, yes, he's in many ways a ripoff Green Lantern, but at least he's doing it WELL now. The series also wraps up loose ends and sets up a status quo; Ronan & Ravenous (now a cyborg) hash out a truce, where Ronan has Hala but Ravenous has his own world, an army of bugs and a new Annihilus maggot. Thanos is now side-by-side with Death, seemingly finally winning her love and acceptance into her realm. Phyla wants to carry on Quasar's work now that she has his bands. And Nova has many worlds to manage in a power vaccum and potential "cold war". Galactus hungers and the Surfer is again his herald. Plenty of bits left for Nova's next ongoing, an outcome we really couldn't have predicted in Jan. 2006. Definately a successeful, enjoyable series that was the antidote for a lot of the bitterness that CW has brought. Buy the trade.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #38: Still the best Ultimate ongoing right now (I refuse to count ULTIMATES 2, an "ongoing" that ships 2-3 issues a year) by process of elimination, Carey & Ferry complete their first 6 part arc. Unlike USM, which is collapsing under Bendis burnout, and ULTIMATE XM, which has been shakey as Kirkman tries to figure out what he is doing on that title with the X-Men, Carey's initial solo arc (beyond the annual and some 2 issue tales) floundered because it was too ambitious in a way, which isn't a bad way to fail. It also seeks a finale simular to ANNIHILATION, a big ol' cosmic brawl, but despite Ferry doesn't pull it off as well. It is a nice fight between the Four, their extra-dimensional allies from Acheron with weirdo names like "Fountain" or "Tesseract", and Ultimate Ronan (son of a very Darkseid-esque Ultimate Thanos) who is nearly unbeatable with his "universal weapon". Between merging Midtown and Acheron for one scene to rattling off battle strategies, the chapter suffers from just too much jargon at once, which has plagued the entire arc. Ellis did a simular "exploration" story (the Four go somewhere, something nasty comes back, fight ensues), but his problem was decompression; Carey's is the opposite, overcramming. The Four barely seem like the stars of their own book. The final battle is over the top and Ferry does well on art, but by the time it was over, my head hurt and the last minute "twist" I really didn't need (after refusing to build the object Thanos wanted, apparently Thanos has posessed Reed and he is doing exactly that), but likely will fuel the next arc. The Four are generic as "superheroes" like the Ultimates and I like that Carey wants them to explore other worlds and fight otherworldly threats. Really, the FF is the place to do that. He just needs to not overcram with random characters like some post-Claremont story, not drown you in sci-fi babble, and remember the Four are the stars. Carey's last, shorter works didn't have these problems so maybe it was the result of thinking too big with 6 issues (the length of his last UFF stories combined). An awkward start, but there is some hope Carey will improve. He's no Millar on this book, though.
yenaled
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I believe Slott is on an exclusive with Marvel, at least I remember him being signed to one.
His JLA arc he actually wrote around 3-4 years ago and was at that moment meant to be in continuity. However, it got pushed aside because of other creative teams (and the fact that Slott seems to be writing a JLA line-up that technically has never actually existed - but that might be slightly nitpicking). So the issues have sat in a draw for a very long time. With JLA Classified they decided to publish the story as the title deals with telling stories that are set in the past (and actually apart from Morrisons opening arc I believe every arc they have published are just stories DC have paid for and have been sitting around in draws for a while).
Anyway I enjoyed the first issue, nothing spectacular but enjoyable and look forward to getting the second tomorrow.
His JLA arc he actually wrote around 3-4 years ago and was at that moment meant to be in continuity. However, it got pushed aside because of other creative teams (and the fact that Slott seems to be writing a JLA line-up that technically has never actually existed - but that might be slightly nitpicking). So the issues have sat in a draw for a very long time. With JLA Classified they decided to publish the story as the title deals with telling stories that are set in the past (and actually apart from Morrisons opening arc I believe every arc they have published are just stories DC have paid for and have been sitting around in draws for a while).
Anyway I enjoyed the first issue, nothing spectacular but enjoyable and look forward to getting the second tomorrow.
Dread
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Excellent choice! That's a great series that I discovered via HC and TPB, and I hope you love it as much as I do.
Dread
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I see. Thanks for the clarifications.
WOLVERINE25TH
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BOUGHT:
52 #39
ANITA BLAKE #4
ANNIHILATION #6
BATMAN LODK #214
BLACK PANTHER #24
BLUE BEETLE #11
CREEPER #6
DAREDEVIL #93
GHOST RIDER FINALE
HUNTER KILLER #11
MS. MARVEL SPECIAL
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF INVICIBLE
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #4
TEEN TITANS #43
ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM CRISIS #1
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48
X-MEN #195
XENA STRANGE VISITOR
THOUGHT:
52 #39 - Things are starting to come together as Lex Luthor is now...SUPERMAN! Yup, we're all in trouble.
ANITA BLAKE #4 - 4 issues in, and I can safely say I don't think I'm liking this book. It's incredibly light on action and the main character seems pretty timid to be doing her job. There just hasn't been anything to really draw me into it. It's just a lotta yammering back and forth, and barely any development on the mystery that kicked off the whole story. The books have some very vocal fans...maybe that's a better place to get into Anita?
ANNIHILATION #6 - An explosive and VERY satisfying conclusion. Like many others, I think I preferred this to Civil War. Hell, even the return of the Surfer's status quo was handled well. We got set-ups for sequels (which I hope will be handled by the same team) and spin-offs, which've already been announced in coming. Quality like this could get me back into Marvel space stuff.
BATMAN LODK #214 - Batman vs. Deadshot, but with barely any fighting. A nice psychological tale with some classic scenes. Although my one nit-pick would be Alfred just happening to know all about Deadshot's origin. Otherwise it was a damn good read.
BLACK PANTHER #24 - If it wasn't suffering from being way behind in relevance, the book would still suck. Black Panther is getting to be a bit more like previous incarnations, but Storm is still all over the place. What we do get to learn is how Tigra was revealed to be the traitor.
BLUE BEETLE #11 - Okay, this issue was a bit better than the last few issues, but still nothing special or remarkable. The next issue's quality will determine if I drop this book or if I go with it for a bit longer.
CREEPER #6 - This book I enjoyed. An interesting new character from unorthodox origins. I hope future uses do the character justice, unlike the treatment Jason Todd's been getting.
DAREDEVIL #93 - The past few years are finally wrapped up in this one story as it's a new beginning for Matt and DD. Bru's run's been fantastic so far. Blended seemlessly with Bendis' stuff and feels like there was barely a change.
GHOST RIDER FINALE - Haven't read this yet, and probably won't get as much effect as someone who read GR back in them days, but I think this was damn cool an idea. So cool, I wish other books had ravenous fans to demand the finales many were so cruelly denied. I also loved how they resurrected the 90s Marvel logo for the cover. Very nice touch.
HUNTER KILLER #11 - So we learn who Mark's new girl really is, and what his purpose in life ultimately is. This one reignited my interest in the book, and hopefully #12 is a payoff issue. Not sure if it's going on past 12, but that issue will determine if I go along with it or dump it along with so many others.
MS. MARVEL SPECIAL - AIM is engineering their own Scarlet Witches, and Marvel just made one that got away much stronger. And this couldn't've been told within her regular series? We actually needed an extra issue?
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF INVICIBLE - Handbooks goooooood. Handbooks very good! Now, to get the first collection!
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #4 - A bit more action than Anita, but sometimes the artwork, while good, comes off a bit stiff. Fortunately, the story is interesting enough to keep interest. Not one of my top reads, but definitely a good one.
TEEN TITANS #43 - EXCELLENT ISSUE. An evil Titans team takes on and takes out the real Titans, and it's just getting started! One of the better books I started picking up from DC, and I haven't looked back since.
ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM CRISIS #1 - I'm kinda on the fence with this one. On the one hand, there were some bits that got me to laugh. On the other hand, it was a completely nonsensical story that didn't even feature Spider-Ham's universe. I was kinda hoping we'd get the Spider-Ham version of Civil War like we have with the Mini Marvels. But, for what it was, it was enjoyable.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48 - Ronan the Accuser vs. the FF and company. A big action-packed brawl that brought an unsatisfying story to a crappy conclusion. I didn't like this arc at all, and I sorely miss the prior creative team.
XENA STRANGE VISITOR - Art was decent, but the story kinda...blew. Xena vs. an alien, basically...a fight based on a misunderstanding which resulted in Xena killing an alien because of her mistake. That right there is not a very good ending for the supposed hero of the story. Also, this story was reminiscent of when the series jumped the shark on TV and was never able to recover.
52 #39
ANITA BLAKE #4
ANNIHILATION #6
BATMAN LODK #214
BLACK PANTHER #24
BLUE BEETLE #11
CREEPER #6
DAREDEVIL #93
GHOST RIDER FINALE
HUNTER KILLER #11
MS. MARVEL SPECIAL
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF INVICIBLE
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #4
TEEN TITANS #43
ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM CRISIS #1
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48
X-MEN #195
XENA STRANGE VISITOR
THOUGHT:
52 #39 - Things are starting to come together as Lex Luthor is now...SUPERMAN! Yup, we're all in trouble.
ANITA BLAKE #4 - 4 issues in, and I can safely say I don't think I'm liking this book. It's incredibly light on action and the main character seems pretty timid to be doing her job. There just hasn't been anything to really draw me into it. It's just a lotta yammering back and forth, and barely any development on the mystery that kicked off the whole story. The books have some very vocal fans...maybe that's a better place to get into Anita?
ANNIHILATION #6 - An explosive and VERY satisfying conclusion. Like many others, I think I preferred this to Civil War. Hell, even the return of the Surfer's status quo was handled well. We got set-ups for sequels (which I hope will be handled by the same team) and spin-offs, which've already been announced in coming. Quality like this could get me back into Marvel space stuff.
BATMAN LODK #214 - Batman vs. Deadshot, but with barely any fighting. A nice psychological tale with some classic scenes. Although my one nit-pick would be Alfred just happening to know all about Deadshot's origin. Otherwise it was a damn good read.
BLACK PANTHER #24 - If it wasn't suffering from being way behind in relevance, the book would still suck. Black Panther is getting to be a bit more like previous incarnations, but Storm is still all over the place. What we do get to learn is how Tigra was revealed to be the traitor.
BLUE BEETLE #11 - Okay, this issue was a bit better than the last few issues, but still nothing special or remarkable. The next issue's quality will determine if I drop this book or if I go with it for a bit longer.
CREEPER #6 - This book I enjoyed. An interesting new character from unorthodox origins. I hope future uses do the character justice, unlike the treatment Jason Todd's been getting.
DAREDEVIL #93 - The past few years are finally wrapped up in this one story as it's a new beginning for Matt and DD. Bru's run's been fantastic so far. Blended seemlessly with Bendis' stuff and feels like there was barely a change.
GHOST RIDER FINALE - Haven't read this yet, and probably won't get as much effect as someone who read GR back in them days, but I think this was damn cool an idea. So cool, I wish other books had ravenous fans to demand the finales many were so cruelly denied. I also loved how they resurrected the 90s Marvel logo for the cover. Very nice touch.
HUNTER KILLER #11 - So we learn who Mark's new girl really is, and what his purpose in life ultimately is. This one reignited my interest in the book, and hopefully #12 is a payoff issue. Not sure if it's going on past 12, but that issue will determine if I go along with it or dump it along with so many others.
MS. MARVEL SPECIAL - AIM is engineering their own Scarlet Witches, and Marvel just made one that got away much stronger. And this couldn't've been told within her regular series? We actually needed an extra issue?
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF INVICIBLE - Handbooks goooooood. Handbooks very good! Now, to get the first collection!
PTOLUS CITY BY THE SPIRE #4 - A bit more action than Anita, but sometimes the artwork, while good, comes off a bit stiff. Fortunately, the story is interesting enough to keep interest. Not one of my top reads, but definitely a good one.
TEEN TITANS #43 - EXCELLENT ISSUE. An evil Titans team takes on and takes out the real Titans, and it's just getting started! One of the better books I started picking up from DC, and I haven't looked back since.
ULTIMATE CIVIL WAR SPIDER-HAM CRISIS #1 - I'm kinda on the fence with this one. On the one hand, there were some bits that got me to laugh. On the other hand, it was a completely nonsensical story that didn't even feature Spider-Ham's universe. I was kinda hoping we'd get the Spider-Ham version of Civil War like we have with the Mini Marvels. But, for what it was, it was enjoyable.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #48 - Ronan the Accuser vs. the FF and company. A big action-packed brawl that brought an unsatisfying story to a crappy conclusion. I didn't like this arc at all, and I sorely miss the prior creative team.
XENA STRANGE VISITOR - Art was decent, but the story kinda...blew. Xena vs. an alien, basically...a fight based on a misunderstanding which resulted in Xena killing an alien because of her mistake. That right there is not a very good ending for the supposed hero of the story. Also, this story was reminiscent of when the series jumped the shark on TV and was never able to recover.
Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
- Joined
- Oct 11, 2001
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- 21,788
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 31
Thanks.
Goddammit, Dread!!!!It's Ravenous, RAVENOUS!!!!! You can't fully preach Annihilation's chocolatey goodness if you misspell stuff like that!
Now go back and EDIT.
When you're right, you're right. Editted. I don't know why I keep making that error.
Hmmm....I was pondering picking these up.I think I'm going to stick with the first 3 trades of Planetary and Authority though.They seem more up my alley.
Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
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- Oct 11, 2001
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- 21,788
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- 0
- Points
- 31
INVINCIBLE kicks arse if you enjoy superhero comics at all. I'd get the two HC's and the trades/back-issues. After the first HC you have a real nice chunk of story to judge.
Marcdachamp
Sidekick
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2004
- Messages
- 3,366
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- Points
- 31
Daredevil- PICK OF THE WEEK! Ok, on one hand, I loved this. Very touching ending that was really nice for Matt. My big concern is that Daredevil is simply going to go back to being "status quo". I was putting away some comics today, and I found myself flipping through Bendis' run. The last thing I want is to see the genie put neatly back into the bottle and everything he did ignored. My other complaint (and I've noticed this elsewhere), is that the ending is confusing. I now know who the character is on the final page, but I also thought it was Milla. 9/10
Black Panther- Interesting. In fact, this series has been since T'Challa and Ororo became involved in the Civil War. I liked seeing the Panther expose Tigra as a traitor. Nice little nod back to Civil War. 8/10
Ultimate Spider-Ham- Fun? Yes. Could've been better? Definitely. Most of the art was seen in Joe Fridays, and I just felt like a lot more could've been done with the concept. 7/10
Black Panther- Interesting. In fact, this series has been since T'Challa and Ororo became involved in the Civil War. I liked seeing the Panther expose Tigra as a traitor. Nice little nod back to Civil War. 8/10
Ultimate Spider-Ham- Fun? Yes. Could've been better? Definitely. Most of the art was seen in Joe Fridays, and I just felt like a lot more could've been done with the concept. 7/10
supermarvelman
Sidekick
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- 31
Yup, Mar-Vell's only straight kid is the only one dead, poor genis, I think he will come back to.
Not Jake
Superhero
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- Dec 1, 2004
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- 8,381
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52 WEEK #39: Kind of a let-down from the previous few issues. Still good, but, I don't know, it seemed...anti-climactic. Luthor has Supes-comparable powers, and what does he do? Knock around a girl. You're sooooo smart and creative, Lex. But again--52 has really picked up since it hit the 30s, and it's a good read now. Weekly! It feels so normal now to go and pick up this book every week. Do we really appreciate it? Since it hit the 30s, it's been better than a lot of monthly books, you guys. And it comes out once a week. It's a wondrous thing, folks.
DAREDEVIL #93: I don't read these, not until I can pick up the trade of Bru's first arc. But it's important for you all to know that I have awesome taste in comics.
DAREDEVIL #93: I don't read these, not until I can pick up the trade of Bru's first arc. But it's important for you all to know that I have awesome taste in comics.
Assassin
Detroit's Reckoning
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2004
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- 19,005
- Reaction score
- 6
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Has hulking met any of them yet?
Kevin
Doug not so Funny
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Holy fudge, I just got what you said. Must be in the blood.
Kevin
Doug not so Funny
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It's universal, it seems.
supermarvelman
Sidekick
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No not one of them, Phyla was in space and by the time Hulkling knew he was a Vell, Genis's body was already spread throughout god knows where.
supermarvelman
Sidekick
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Brainiac 8
Clark Smash!
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- 2
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So it's official..we have dealt with two years of nonstop events from DC and Marvel...and it took a little known series called Annihilation to PWN them all.
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