JewishHobbit's Bought/Thought June 30th Edition... SUCK IT DREAD!!!

[Phaedrus45]

I didn't mind the $4.99 price, because we essentially got two issues at a slightly reduced cost. I minded it because one issue was more than enough of this crappy comic!

Invincible Iron Man Annual

Wow! I loved this annual, and paying $4.99 for close to 70 pages of material actually felt like a bargain to me. Sure, it might not coincide with previous interpretations of Mandarin; but, I thought it was the best single issue of Iron Man that I've ever read from Fraction. That's even more amazing, because Iron Man doesn't even show up in this book!

What happens is all explained above; so, no need to go into that. I don't mind a reimagining of a character..because, that's essentially what Mandarin is trying to do himself with all the lies about his past. What matters is if a reimagining is any good. Look at X-Campus, and you have the other side of that spectrum. (Plus, we get about 20+ extra pages for the same price here.)

Doomwar #5

This story took a big leap back in my enjoyment of it. Why? WHY??!!?? Why FRIGGIN' WHY did the have to put DEADPOOL into this story? I felt like the whole thing has been vastly cheapened. (Oh, and this issue is just so dang wordy.)

Well, at least that last page was spectacular. I've been waiting for someone to do that to Deadpool for quite some time.

 

[Phaedrus45]

test

Ah, there it is. I saw I had a post, but it just wouldn't show up on the main page for me.

 

[Dread]

I do appreciate that someone besides me liked the INVINCIBLE IRON MAN ANNUAL.

 

[Phaedrus45]

The best issues are ones that get mixed reviews. I love hearing why some people don't like them, and why other people do.

New Avengers: Luke Cage #3

This is the final issue of this three-part mini, and the last page explains that it takes place before the events in Seige. It was all a bit of a bore, especially since I've read similiar stories before, most recently from DC comics. Luke goes to find a kid that used to look up to him during his Hero-For-Hire days...and, discovers that kid all grown up and involved with illegal drugs. This final issue shows how Luke takes care of the problem; but, it's just not very believable. Many of us have seen some good shows that deal with the drug trade, like The Wire. This was just to ridiculous of an idealic ending.

Northlanders #29

This stand-alone story was only alright. It tells of the first Norseman who dared to venture past the usual trade routes with his boat, and he ventures off into the seas with a crew. Like with many of the Northlanders tales, it doesn't end well.

I'm mixed on this title. Sometimes I like it, like the previous 6-part story; but, other times I find myself unsatisfied. As we skip around from story to story, the comic doesn't have a central focus or character. There is nothing that really keeps me reading, just the hope that I might get a great story to come around again. With this issue, I'm more leaning on dropping this book.

Astonishing X-Men #34

Let me say one good thing about this title...Marvel doesn't overprice it, which is a bit surprising. But, that's good, because as with the other storylines from Ellis, this comic doesn't proceed at a fast pace. Lots of talking and squabbling between old teammates. And, I'm still wondering what Armor is still doing in this book. She's the most underdeveloped character on the team, and she bores the crap out of me.

This issue sees the group arrive at their destination, and the mystery villian is suppose to look very much like Xavier in his wheelchair; but, they make it obvious it's not him. Kind of reminds me of his sister, more. I'm a bit interested in this story...but, so much blathering makes it hard to sit through, too.

Thor #611

I love this book! How great to see Mephisto back again, especially since I associate him with Thor most of all. I remember classic appearances with him when I read the comic first back in the early 80's. This issue does a good job of making him more like that...and, adding Hela to the mix just makes it all the more better.

Amazing Spider-Ham Special 25th Anniversary Issue

Ugggg!!!! This comic was total crap! When 3/4ths of your humor comes from renaming characters and things with animal names, you just don't get too many chuckles from me. The book wasn't funny in the least, and I've never had fond feeling for Spider-Ham, even when I was much younger. Worst of all, it's geared for kids, but highly priced for adults.

Heralds #5

Wow! Talk about a comic that was a bit misleading. First, it shouldn't have been called Heralds. There should be no plural! There is just one Herald this comic was about, and that's Frankie Ray! That said...I kind of really liked this story. Looking back, there wasn't a whole lot to it; but, it brings back an old favorite character of mine (sort of), and the subtlety of the storytelling was refreshing. It was just a nice, sweet story. I'm not sure if others would feel the same way, though. It might help that I have a fondness for that character.

 

[runawayboulder]

Thor was great this week. Dread summed it up with the funeral scene. Every word that came out of Thor's mouth was awesome. Gillen is on the verge of becoming my favorite writer in comics. I can't wait to see what book Marvel puts him on next.

Death of Dracula was a fantastic book. Gischler and Camuncoli are a great team. I wasn't too keen on the inks however. Dracula suffered a Julius Cesar style execution early on and the rest of the book covered the fallout between all the vampire sects. This book really has me interested in the upcoming X-Men vs Vampires story. I may be losing it.....

 

[Phaedrus45]

Am I the only one having a bi$%^ of a time getting on The Hype all week?

Deadpool Team-Up

This title is getting a little better with the last two issues. This one features Satana...and, while there aren't any big chuckles, it was entertaining enough. In it, Satana goes to Deadpool for help getting her soul back, which she lost in a Poker Game from four nerds. (The nerds turn out to be Hellish baddies, like Mephisto and Dormamu.)

Comic is somewhere between a and a

 

[Dread]

Thor was great this week. Dread summed it up with the funeral scene. Every word that came out of Thor's mouth was awesome. Gillen is on the verge of becoming my favorite writer in comics. I can't wait to see what book Marvel puts him on next.

Good question. He has about another 3-5 issues on THOR I believe, but then after that, who knows? Marvel let Cornell go to DC after dismissing his CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 until it won a Hugo Award (and notice suddenly now Marvel wants to do a very similar, drawn out version of the story with CURSE OF THE MUTANTS for X-MEN), so hopefully they don't let go of Gillen. For me, Gillen proved himself by being given a thankless run on THOR; obligated to clean up JMS' mess, sponsor a crossover tie in with SIEGE and keep the title "warm" for Matt Fraction, who Marvel is shifting into A-List class (or trying to). Despite all that, Gillen made the book a pleasure to read, more so than JMS had made it in the last half of his run (at least). It does suck that the price is back up a buck, but I suppose I can swallow it.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Obsessed With Marvel

This might be old, but I saw it at Borders for the first time this weekend. It's one of those electronic quiz books, with 2,500 Marvel Comics related questions. It's fun to see how much I know...and, don't. It's a bit high priced ($29.99); but, makes a great book to just waste some time doing. Heck, it makes an excellent bathroom book, too, I'd guess. t:

 

[runawayboulder]

Good question. He has about another 3-5 issues on THOR I believe, but then after that, who knows? Marvel let Cornell go to DC after dismissing his CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 until it won a Hugo Award (and notice suddenly now Marvel wants to do a very similar, drawn out version of the story with CURSE OF THE MUTANTS for X-MEN), so hopefully they don't let go of Gillen. For me, Gillen proved himself by being given a thankless run on THOR; obligated to clean up JMS' mess, sponsor a crossover tie in with SIEGE and keep the title "warm" for Matt Fraction, who Marvel is shifting into A-List class (or trying to). Despite all that, Gillen made the book a pleasure to read, more so than JMS had made it in the last half of his run (at least). It does suck that the price is back up a buck, but I suppose I can swallow it.

Gillen went above and beyond with Thor as far as what Marvel needed him to do. It even allowed them to push Fraction back a bit. It makes me wonder if Marvel was second guessing their plan to put Fraction on the book after how Gillen has handled it. I mean, honestly, is Thor gonna sell any higher that it is now with Fraction writing it? It's constantly top 10-15 I think....?

I'll say this, I tried to read SWORD #1 but couldn't get past the Eeyor-style Beast, but I plan on reading the brief 5 issue run just for KG.

 

[Spider-Jay420]

Obsessed With Marvel

This might be old, but I saw it at Borders for the first time this weekend. It's one of those electronic quiz books, with 2,500 Marvel Comics related questions. It's fun to see how much I know...and, don't. It's a bit high priced ($29.99); but, makes a great book to just waste some time doing. Heck, it makes an excellent bathroom book, too, I'd guess. t:

Never heard of it, but that sounds pretty cool.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Gillen went above and beyond with Thor as far as what Marvel needed him to do. It even allowed them to push Fraction back a bit. It makes me wonder if Marvel was second guessing their plan to put Fraction on the book after how Gillen has handled it. I mean, honestly, is Thor gonna sell any higher that it is now with Fraction writing it? It's constantly top 10-15 I think....?

I'll say this, I tried to read SWORD #1 but couldn't get past the Eeyor-style Beast, but I plan on reading the brief 5 issue run just for KG.

If you like quirky humor, you won't be disappointed. Beast, Brand, Death's Head, and Lockheed are sublimely weird and hilarious in that series.

Also, if you like Beta Ray Bill at all, I'd recommend picking up Gillen's Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter trade. It picks up on some of the important threads from Oeming's Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill (another utterly fantastic Bill series) and tells--in my humble opinion as a big fan of both Thor and Bill--one of the absolute best Beta Ray Bill stories ever. That was actually the series that made me fall in love with Gillen's writing, before SWORD or Thor.