Bought/Thought "OH NOEZZZ!!" Sept.20th Edition

[Xofenroht]

I really wonder what Pete could have done about it when it comes down to it. This is CLOR we're talking about here.

 

[Darthphere]

Oh my bad, were talking about Marvel heroes right? Yeah, because regular ol heroes fight even with the odds stacked up against them.

 

[gildea]

I was re-reading Civil War #4 and when Clor was on his rampage, its pretty pathetic to me at least that no Pro-Reg people tried to stop him until after the fact. Sue, stepped up but Iron Man and his ***** Spider-Man stood there like it was all good at that point.

Happened too fast darth.

Thor kills goliath, goliath falls, the very next panel thor is calling down the lightening which sue blocked.

In between thor killing goliath (the only indicator that he was um, broken, other than his dialogue) and sue putting the anti reg side in a bubble there was only a few seconds.

 

[Dread]

A very good point about Spider-Man. However, I think we'll see more of his reaction in ASM on the 27th. Ever since the beginning, JMS has been more interested in showing his confliction in the core title than Millar has. Granted, even in ASM, Peter's been "conflicted" for every issue now, but that hasn't stopped him from basically taking anything Stark says or does in stride because he "made him a promise" and basically doing whatever it is that Stark wants anyway. I've gotten so used to Spider-Man being a gov't shrill that anything he does really falls off my back now. He could snap someone's neck and I'd probably roll with it. It's not like Marvel doesn't find new sharks to jump when it comes to Spidey.

I'm more concerned with how FF's story will effect CW #4. That was set after the issue's battle but it had both sides just standing there at the end and surely more mentions will be dropped now.

 

[GNR]

I don't really think there's time to show Pete's inner turmoil in thr main book.

 

[Dread]

What I meant of is that ASM usually shows it more than CW issues. Even if Spidey's usually just stood lock step with Stark at the end anyway.

 

[GNR]

What I meant of is that ASM usually shows it more than CW issues. Even if Spidey's usually just stood lock step with Stark at the end anyway.

Understandable don't you think?CW has a huge cast as it is.

 

[gildea]

Understandable don't you think?CW has a huge cast as it is.

With regards to his eventual defection yes it is, they have at least touched upon it in each civil war issue.

But the build up to the unmasking was not touched upon at all in CW (spidey only ever said he was against it), for that to make any sense you had to read ASM, which in my opinion shouldn't be the case. Given that was the big thing of issue 2 it needed at least a couple of lines.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Bought:

Shadowpact #5
Catwoman #59
Flash #4
Checkmate #6
Birds Of Prey #98
52 - Week Twenty
Ion #6
Walking Dead #31
Strangers In Paradise #6
Se7en #1
Civil War #4
Blade #1
Exiles #86
Marvel Spotlight - Kirby/Lee
Ghost Rider #3
Moon Knight #5
Runaways #20
Union Jack #1
Ultimate Fantastic Four #34
Sensational Spider-Man #30
Wolverine #46
Civil War - X-Men #3
Astonishing X-Men #17
New Excalibur #11
X-Men - First Class #1
X-Factor #11
Nextwave #8
Marvel Adventures - Fantastic Four #16
Marvel Adventures - Avengers #5
Iron Man #12

Thought:

Shadowpact #5: As my unread DC books were starting to pile up, I decided I better review DC books first. I'm not a big DC expert; so, many of the books with b-list characters, like Shadowpact and Checkmate, are very new to me. Shadowpact was one of the first I knew I was going to continue reading after events from Infinite Crisis and the Vengence miniseries before it. I liked these characters....now, if only the stories were better than what's been in the first five issues.

Issue five picks up right after the Shadowpact disappeared into the blood barrier one year ago. Each ends up going their own way, discovering what's happened in the year they've been away. Nothing of significance really happens, except for discovering that a new character, Doctor Gotham, is really pissed that his attempt to bring the Sun King over from whatever dimension to Earth has been twarted by the Shadowpact. Of course, this new character has been asleep for forty millennia under the city of Gotham, and is awaken early from his restoration sleep because of the problems the Shadowpact is causing. It's also revealed that everything that is bad about Gotham City is because of him and his evil influence. (Dang, if Batman only knew years and years ago he had to kill this guy, and all the weirdos would never have existed!!!)

Basically, you know everything that's going to happen with these stories. There isn't anything original in them...and, Doctor Gotham is just a hybrid of various other villians we've seen throughout the years. 7/10

Catwoman #59: For those who haven't been reading Catwoman for the last couple years, the revelation of who Selina's baby's father is will be a bit of a letdown. Last month, it was hinted as briefly who the father was, and this issue pretty much confirms it as Sam Bradley, the cop who'd been posing as a supervillian to get at the criminal underground. Yep, One Year Later, and most people will say "who gives a crap!" At least Catwoman has created a decent villian in Film Freak. This guy is as demented as any Batman villian you can come across, and Catwoman will easily be regretting letting him get away in issue #58. One complaint, though: They sure make it easy to break into S.T.A.R. labs. That place has caused more trouble than it's worth. I do find myself enjoying this book, though. 8/10

Checkmate #6: Ok, I was suppose to drop this book two months ago. But, issue #5 ended up in my file last month, and when I got my books home, I noticed I forgot to pull it out. So, I saw issue #6 this week, and decided, "Ok, I'll give you one more try." I pulled out issues 4-6 and read them, and discovered, "Oh, crap, I'm starting to enjoy this damn book."

As I said in a previous bought/thought thread, I might have liked the book better if I understood who these characters were...and, now I'm discovering I don't need the understanding if I take my time in trying to understand all the conflicts and how they relate to the dynamics of the characters. This isn't a book a non-DC fan can just pick up. They'd be confused by who and what are the various sub-sections that make up Checkmate, with White and Black Queens, Bishops, Knights and all. Plus, I'm guessing these characters have a ton of history that I know nothing about, what with Amanda Waller and the Suicide Squad, the Society, and the many members of Checkmate. BUT, all that is what starts making Checkmate such a good book. It's about history...it's about being complex, not being so obvious (like Shadowpact stories), and challenging your reader to follow along.

Needless to say, the Suicide Squad story that takes place in issue #6 has me hooked. I doubt this book is going to last....but, it is one of the better books that DC is putting out right now. It's intelligent and different. I'm back on board. 9/10

Flash #4: Now, this book is utter crap. While Checkmate is original and smart, this is made for the Junior High crowd. The story is predictable, the characters are two dimensional, and the situations between characters are laughable. Heck, they even got a crappier artist with issue #4, making the book worse just from page 1. Consider this book dropped! 4/10

Birds Of Prey #98: The only reason I'm still getting this book is because it's nearing issue #100, and I'm hoping something amazing happens for that anniversary issue; and, the book is introducing the new Batgirl. Other than that, I would drop it in a heartbeat. The stories bore me, the characters don't have that much dimension, and bringing a kid into the story to be trained by the heroes just makes it that much more of a reason to drop it. Another OYL and still utter crap. I can almost predict after issue 100, this book will be dropped quicker than The Flash. 5/10

52 - Week Twenty: I thought last weeks issue was the first one that didn't live up to the potential of all the previous. This week, it's a bit better, but I'm just not a big Lobo fan, and this issue is pretty much all Lobo-related. 52 has been a very serious book, and putting in a character like Lobo makes it more slapstick, like Deadpool. Characters like Deadpool have their place...but, 52 isn't it for me.

What I love (and hate) about 52 is how so many characters are involved. If one storyline gets focused on too much, I hate that it takes away from the others. I want more Black Adam, I want more of the new superhero who took Booster's place in the limelight, I want more Officer Montoya, I want more Ralph Dibny (or however you spell his last name) ... but, I don't want more of them that they take the place of each other. And, I felt this issue's focus on Lobo took the place of some of the other stories. But, like I said, I'm not a Lobo fan. 8/10

Ion #6: I don't know what it is...but, I'm not liking this book that much. I think it's a combination of elements. I can't stand The Guardians. They are old blue people who just seem to stand around and tell everyone else what to do. Like The Watchers with attitude and blue skin. I just want the Lanterns to tell them, "If it's so bloody important, do it your own damn selves!" Plus, I hate how the rings are so powerful, yet they battle making stupid stuff, like hammers or big fists. They were doing that in the 60's, and it just comes across as very cheesy today. Finally, the idea that Kyle is the "Torch Bearer" does nothing for me. Wow, so he's a Super Green Lantern. Big F'in Deal!

I will say if you are a Green Lantern fan, you'll probably like the story well enough. Just, the character is still a little to 60's for me, and it comes across as a little goofy sometimes. 7/10

Walking Dead #31: As I've said before, this book got a little dull in the mid-20's; but, it's picked up big time. Michonne really comes across as a bad ass (Gotta love the Gladiator Fight), the new characters where her, Rick, and Glenn are being held captive are really taking on some great personalities and dynamics, and The Governor's plan to find the prison seems to be working way too well on Rick. This is still one of the best non-Marvel titles out there. My only complaint would be they got rid of the character profiles at the back of the book in exchange for giving preview pages from forth-coming books. 10/10

Strangers In Paradise #84: Only six more issues to go until Strangers In Paradise's fantastic run is complete. I have loved this book since the first trade paperback came out so many years ago. It's sad to see the story finally coming to an end, because there just aren't books like this being put out today. It's all Superheroes, Zombies, Aliens, Horror, and the like. Sure, there are a few that can be mentioned...but, it's not SIP. These characters become almost real people after you've read them. Even characters you have despised at times become likeable, like with Tambi. And, Terry Moore's use of poety, prose, or the standard comic panels in telling his story each issue really works well. The only thing to hate is how we wait so long for the next issue and only get 18 pages. But, wow, what an 18 pages! Francine finally comes to her senses, and you are dying for her to leave Brad and run to Katchoo. IT'S NOT FAIR I HAVE TO WAIT AT LEAST SIX WEEKS FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!!! And, talk about a character that was there for purely comic relief at first, coming around to be so damn likable: Casey is just the biggest sweetheart in this comic. I don't want David to die, he belongs with Casey (hard to believe that all started out as a big joke), and they were meant to be together. She and him both deserve the happiness they both can give each other.

Finally, I have to address the covers for SIP. They are some of the best. There isn't too many comic covers I'd want to grace the walls of my house, but if I had a collection of framed SIP covers on my walls, I could just stare at them all day. Each cover is so diffent, so beautiful. They really are works of art.

Really finally, if you haven't discovered Strangers In Paradise after all these years, it's one of the most affordable tpbs you can buy. They cram about over 20 issues in a pocket-size trade paperback, and I could almost guarantee after you read the first volume, you'll be hooked. Sure, it's a big old soap opera in comic book format...but, these characters become so three dimensional, you find yourself laughing and crying right along with them. (Well, not really crying, but you might find a little wetness in your eyes at times. Don't even get me started on the plane crash!!!) 10/10

Se7en #1: Wow! I wasn't expecting this book to be that good; but, in telling the story of Gluttony, they give the dead man who died from eatting too much one of the saddest stories you'll read. I loved the art, I loved the way they told the story with different flashbacks and two seperate points of view (one from the killer and one from the Glutton), and I loved the use of evidence throughout the story. There really is some good stuff that doesn't come from the big two, DC and Marvel, that people should give a try. 9/10

 

[Phaedrus45]

More thoughts:

Civil War #4: After the big two month wait, Civil War picks up right where issue #3 left off with the return of Thor. Sadly, I had to wait three more days to get the issue, as two of Marvel's titles got shipped to Arizona instead of to my comic shop in Washington state. Hence, my biggest reason for my delay in reading Marvel's comics this week.

The issue had all the big events you want from a comic. The revelation of Thor being cloned, the death of a "less than prominent" Marvel hero, the division in the Fantastic Four that we've all known was coming six months ago. Sure, it's still nowhere near as epic as Infinite Crisis. (One of those books would be like reading Civil War at least four times over with the amount of material it presented each issue.) And, I find myself coming away with little criticisms. Captain America acts like Ultimate Captain America more than 616 Captain America. Heck, it might be argued that he's a clone, just like Thor. And, if Mark Millar is trying to give a political statement about Bush and how he thinks the republicans would act after events from issue #1, then he could also be true and realize that they'd be dead set against any type of cloning, especially a "false god," like Thor. Also, the last two pages seemed way, way off to what Tony, Reed or the government would want to do. Like I've been saying, I've been liking Civil War, but this issue left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. 8/10

Blade #1: After three movies and a tv series comes out, it's good to see Blade finally getting an ongoing title. It's just hard to believe it took Marvel so long to do it. Of course, in an attempt to sell more comics and get people interested, they pimp out Spidey on the cover, quickly say, "Oh, he'll be alright," and start to set up the first storyline. The art is horrible, though, and the writing not much better. Not much to brag about. The best thing about the issue is the beautiful front cover. Then, opening it up and seeing endless bad renditions of vampires showing all their teeth, the artists way of letting us know who are vampires and who aren't, just makes the reader want to close the book. I swear, if you open this book, you'll see 100 gaping mouths. And, while I've read a few people ***** about 616 Blade vs. Movie Blade, it really only matters if the material is good. This material is just passable. 7/10

Exiles #86: This has to be one of my favorite issues of Exiles in quite a while. It's made me realize how much I miss Albert and Elsie-Dee, who totally steal the spotlight from the Exiles in this issue. This is just a perfect two-part story, and so many great lines. (I think my favorite is Zombie Head Wolverine saying, "Classic" as Elsie-Dee gets "Sproing"ed backwards.) I love the issue...yet, it makes me want more Elsie-Dee. Heck, if we got stuck with Beak all those damn issues, why couldn't we have Elsie-Dee and Albert (OR Elsie-Dee and Zombie-Head WOlvie!) join up??!!?? 10/10

Marvel Spotlight - Kirby/Lee: I say the same thing every month. Nice title, but promotional books should be cheaper than regular comics, say for $1.99. Also, if they are going to promote a writer or artist, they should promote everything he's done, not just at Marvel. Obviously, this issue is more Stan Lee than Jack Kirby...but, it's a nice read none-the-less. 8/10

Ghost Rider #3: This is the Ghost Rider I like: Having him back as Johnny Blaze, getting away from all the weird demons, and putting back into the regular Marvel 616 interacting with other Marvel heroes. This issue, featuring Dr. Strange, is just a lot of fun. We get a nice battle between Ghost Rider and Dr. Strange, and we get some interesting bad guys with the demons taking over the two old, dead corpses. The biggest complaint is in dragging out the fight between Strange and Ghost Rider. It doesn't even get completed in this issue. Stories like these are meant for trades, more than single issues. It's the same complaint I have about Moon Knight. Overall, though, it's just great to have a decent Ghost Rider book back on the market. 8/10

Moon Knight #5: The title had me sucked in, even though everything from issue 1-5 could be put into one old issue of Moon Knight. I love the art and visuals that David Finch provides (although, his vision of Taskmaster doesn't do it for me). But, this issue really disappointed me. One of my favorite villians is Taskmaster; yet, Charlie Huston treats him like an idiot. There isn't even a classic battle between the two characters. Basically, Taskmaster runs away with his tail between his legs. And, not much really happens in this book. If any less happens in one issue, they'll have to change the name of the book to All-Star Batman And Robin. Heck, the most action in this book is Huston and Finch putting their names on the cover, the first page, and page 4. 6/10

Runaways #20: Always a solid title, Runaways rarely disappoints. In fact, sometimes the only disappointment comes from it not being as great as it was the first 12 issues, which usually got a 10/10 from me. (I liken it to my love of Prince's music. His new stuff isn't as good as his old stuff, but it's still better than most of the crap that comes out today.) This issue has all the elements that many of the books I disliked this week lacked. It has three-dimensional characters that the reader really cares about, it has action with the battle against the big, ugly monster, it has drama with Chase Stein desperately trying to bring back Gertie, and it has cliffhangers that desperately want you to get the next issue. This book is solid...it's just not as good as it's old stuff. 9/10

 

[Brainiac 8]

I hate Elsie Dee, I was glad she died.