Agents of Atlas #11
Jeff Parker (w), Dan Panosian and Gabriel Hardman (a), Elizabeth Dismang (c). Marvel Comics.
That felt a little rushed. Agents of Atlas quickly wraps up it’s “Terror of the Jade Claw” story in a tight little bow just in time for a two-part crossover with the X-Men next month. This story could have used a little more breathing room — it seemed like it should have been a four-part. I wouldn’t have minded a delay to let Hardman finish all the pencils because the switching between him and Panosian is disappointing. Panosian isn’t the worst, it’s just that he’s paired with someone who has different sensibilities and is also way better him. Sorry, man. That said, I am loving these characters and this book. I really hope that the X-Men crossover boosts sales because I don’t want this book to end. — Miles Baker
Miles’ rating: 3.5 out of 5
The
Amazing Spider-Man #605
Fred Van Lente, Brian Reed (w), Javier Pulido, Luke Ross, Rick Magyar, Yanick Paquette, Mark Farmer (a), Javier Rodriguez, Rob Schwager, Nathan Fairbairn (c). Marvel Comics.
I guess Valentine’s Day has come early this year with this three part monster of an issue devoted to the loves and love life of Peter Parker. First is a look at what Mary Jane has been up to before her recent return to New York, and it’s a really satisfying story, a fun adventure with generally top notch art. It also dares to say that “there’s always tension in a relationship when the one partner is so much more successful than the other,” a key dynamic in the Mary Jane/Spider-Man relationship that was never successfully addressed. It kind of sucks that it couldn’t get addressed before Pete and MJ’s relationship got seriously retconned. But better late than never I guess. The rest of the issue has Peter dump Michelle Gonzales, even though another issue with them dealing with the fallout of the Chameleon’s matchmaking would have been amazing. At least this is how Peter would actually handle the situation, quickly and honestly, without really giving her a chance. And then checks out some online dating stuff. My hero. — Isaac Mills
Isaac’s rating: 4 out of 5
Batman and Robin #4
Grant Morrison (w), Philip Tan (p), Jonathan Glapion (i), Pete Pantazis (c). DC Comics.
This is my first time seeing Philip Tan that I can recall outside of the Green Lantern run that was a mess — but that could easily have been a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. He does a fine job with this issue, and it’s interesting to note the similarities structurally between what is presented here and what Quitely had been doing earlier, all of which being just a greater indicator of the kind of details inherit in a Grant Morrison script. Batman and Robin share some nice quality time, and Damian has differently drawn hair in his regular identity versus being Robin, which I’ll chalk up to a kind of wig (which would be very clever) instead of an artists mistake. Benefit of the doubt here people. — Isaac Mills
Isaac’s rating: 4 out of 5
Miles’ rating: 2.5 out of 5
Owen’s rating 3.5 out of 5
Batman Streets of Gotham #4
Paul Dini (w), Dustin Nguyen (p), Derek Fridolfs (i), John Kalisz (c). DC Comics.
Streets of Gotham finally makes good on it’s launch premise: tales about Batman and his world from a different, street-level perspective. The first three issues were fine — they were a big and important Batman story — but that’s not what I signed up for. This issue focuses on The Broker, the real estate agent who acquires abandoned buildings for Gotham’s rogues gallery. As far as I can tell he’s a new character to the Batman universe (only appearing in this and Dini’s Gotham Sirens, which I’m not reading), but a really interesting one. It makes sense that there would be a guy for this and that Batman would know who it was — and this is all covered in this issue. Nguyen steps up his game to match the script. There are some particularly nice splash pages he does. And, this might sound small, but he draws a background on every single panel. It’s not always something big, even a couple of lines to indicate a car window, but it ads to this story that is — even in its title — about a city. There is a second feature here about Manhunter that I didn’t bother with. It looked alright but I had a lot of other comics to read and I kinda wish it wasn’t there and I could have saved a buck on this comic. — Miles Baker
Miles’ rating: 4.5 out of 5
Isaac’s rating: 3 out of 5
Blackest Night #3
Check out crossover corner at the bottom of this page for the full review.
The Brave and the Bold #27
J. Michael Straczynski (w), Jesus Saiz (a). DC Comics.
Straczynski can be really hit or miss. I enjoyed what he did with Thor (until I missed an issue and dropped it — just not a big Thor guy) and he’s had some good ideas with Amazing Spider-Man. Unfortunately he has a tendency to get too deep in his own bright ideas and lose sight of what is actually appropriate for a character. A good example of this would be his portrayal of the Joker in this issue. He’s not usually a thoughtful, elitist, loquacious (following a singular purpose of thinking, it’s usually non sequiturs all over the place with the Joker) but here he is. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s a major departure that doesn’t belong in Brave and the Bold. If I were writing this thing I wouldn’t go out of my way to make this seem out of continuity — like bringing your action figures to the playground then playing by your self anyways — but then again, the story features the Dial H for Hero kid. That’s gotta be a continuity nightmare right there. The story itself is well done, the art is great, just a little miscast. Straczynski is swinging for the fences and you’ve got to admire the gumption displayed. — Isaac Mills
Isaac’s rating: 3 out of 5
Captain America Reborn #3 (of 5)
Ed Brubaker (w), Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice (a), Paul Mounts (c). Marvel Comics.
Ever since the death of Captain America, readers have been looking for something to fill in the gap and this issue is certainly it. I felt that the last was a little too action-packed and felt overwhelmed by the whirlwind of action and the first issue was a little slow. This, however, brings the story back to a great pace. There really is no end to my praise of Brubaker. The art is dynamic and the fight scenes are just so well drawn. Also, is it just me or does Namor’s sexiness go up exponentially when he’s angry? — Sandra Yao
Sandra’s rating: 4 out 5
Dark Avengers #9
Brian Michael Bendis (w), Mike Deodato (a), Rain Beredo (c). Marvel Comics.
Yay! My beloved Secret Warriors! In a book that’s almost all about them! So, I might be biased in my enjoyment of this issue. If you’re a reader of Dark Avengers you’ll probably not care about this issue. Besides Ares, who does play a big role, the Dark Avengers are sidelined to a couple of pages at the back. However, I hope this makes you slightly interested in Secret Warriors. It’s a fantastic title and these characters are a great invention. There’s a great moment between Fury and Daisy where he dresses her down for allowing Ares to follow her back to base. It’s a great five line exchange that tells you so much about the two characters, expertly drawn by Deodato. I was reading the first volume of Thunderbolts that Deodato drew and it’s impressive how much his craft has improved. It was good then, but he’s getting to be something really special. There’s the occasional stiff panel or odd body shape, but he nails the mood of the scene. — Miles Baker
Miles’ rating: 4.5 out of 5
Owen’s rating 2.5 out of 5
Dark Reign: The List – Daredevil #1
Andy Diggle (w), Billy Tan (p), Matt Banning (i), Justin Ponsor (c). Marvel Comics.
This one-shot story of Daredevil acts as a bridge between issues #500 and #501 more than anything else. I liked it. I can’t say I was blown away, but my expectations are high. Considering the tangle that Brubaker left for Diggle, it feels as though the story is making a fairly smooth transition from one writer to another. But what really stays true is Daredevil’s uncanny ability to make poor decisions that, in the end, leave him wrought with guilt. It was good to see that Daredevil was still up for some classic action against Bullseye. The dialogue might have been little cheesy, but I’ll take it. What I won’t let slide as easily is Tan’s art. I had trouble reading the first few pages because I thought it was so bad. The art just stands out like a sore thumb and doesn’t really lend itself to the feel of the story. This is especially true after seeing Roberto De La Torre’s art for the next issue, which by the way sort of helped to make up for the slight disappointment of this one. — Sandra Yao
Sandra’s Rating: 3 out 5
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #3 (of 6)
Victor Gischler (w), Bong Dazo (p), Jose Pimentel (i), Matt Milla (c). Marvel Comics.
The zany adventures of Deadpool continue as he tries to escape from the grips of Hydra and hopefully manage to kick some ass in the process. The series keeps on cranking out a crazy story with some cartoony and fun art to go along with it. It’s got a sabertooth tiger called Zabu. What’s not to love about series that gives a big scary animal such a funny name? Zombie Deadpool head is just as hilarious as regular Deadpool and it’s great to see the contrast between their insanity. Simply put, it’s a solid issue with some seriously funny content. — Sandra Yao
Sandra’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Fables #88
Bill Willingham (w), Mark Buckingham (p), Steve Leialoha and Andrew Pepoy (i), Vertigo Comics
The great thing about Fables is that every time I pick up an issue as soon as I finish it I’m thinking “holy crap, things are getting crazy”. Stuff is happening in this book all the time, even after 88 issues, and none of that stuff has the “been there, done that” feeling that some other books have. My only major complaint is that the cover gives away the cliffhanger ending. Thanks, guys. — Owen Craig
Owen’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Invincible Iron Man #18
Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larroca (a), Marvel Comics
I feel like I’ve been reviewing the storyline forever. Sure, I’ve been reading it forever, too, but reading it is fun. Reviewing it… well, that’s tougher. I’ve pretty much said everything already: this story is awesome, Fraction is awesome, this storyline moves a little slowly but is worth it. What I will say that is specific to this issue is that there is a bait-and-switch that I didn’t see coming and it actually made me cheered out loud when it was revealed. Nicely done, Fraction. — Owen Craig
Owen’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
JSA VS Kobra #4
Eric S. Trautmann (w), Don Kramer (p), Michael Babinski (i), Art Lyon (c). DC Comics.
As I’ve noted before with this book, the art is good but static. It is improved in this issue with a couple of really cool effects, like the splash of an explosion across pages two and three that has these odd hexagon things shooting away from the blasts epicenter — I forget, it may be a reference to some stolen technology last issue, but regardless, it looks cool now. Mr. Terrific is finally getting things together, catching on with the bad guy’s master plan — finally, because I was pretty tired of the JSA getting punked every issue. Having Mr. Terrific ask Thunderbolt to teach him some basics about magic is either really out of character or a big step forward for the character, either way it’s unusual for a mini series to try that. WildC.A.T.S. versus Aliens notwithstanding. — Isaac Mills
Isaac’s rating: 3 out of 5
The Mighty Avengers #29
Dan Slott and Christos N. Gage (w), Khoi Pham (p), Allen Martinez (i), Jahn Rauch (c). Marvel Comics.
I think three plots are too many for a monthly book. Thankfully, this issue semi-wraps up one of the threads. This is a good book, but before I read it I had to think really hard about what was going on, which is probably not a great sign. It’s a lot of characters doing a lot of things with guest appearances galore — it’s hard to keep straight. Moving along, still digging Mighty Avengers too bad about that art. I think I’ve discovered why Pham is popular. There are a lot of people who just read the balloons, quickly glance at the art, repeat — Pham is great for that kind of reader. He has energy, he gets the point across, but if you stop to look at his work you rough it is. I think he’s showing improvement, but that’s the best I can say. — Miles Baker
Miles’ rating: 3 out of 5
Owen’s rating 2.5 out of 5
M.O.D.O.K. Reign Delay #1
Ryan Dunlavey(w), Ryan Dunlavey (a), Marvel Comics
I like comedy books, so when I heard that this one-shot was about M.O.D.O.K. going back home to Erie, Pennsylvania and living with his parents I was as good as sold. I’m glad I did. While this certainly wasn’t a top-of-the-stack book it’s always nice to finish off a pile of comics with one that includes the line “M.O.D.O.K. demands pancakes!!!” – Owen Craig
Owen’s rating: 3 out of 5
X-Men Legacy Annual #1
Mike Carey (w), Daniel Acuna and Mirco Pierfedericii (w). Marvel Comics.
Between Carey’s encyclopedic knowledge of the X-Men, and the similarly through knowledge he shows about literature in The Unwritten, and his knowledge of Japanese folk tales in Crossing Midnight, I’ve come to the conclusion that he’s read everything ever written. That or he’s a gifted robot. More than a regular author/robot — a gifted robot. Anyway, I enjoyed the first taste of the “bold new direction” for X-Men Legacy, even if I was surprised to find it so Cyclops-centric. I was also surprised to see that it ended with a sharp, to-be-continued cliffhanger. Usually the annual is a solid buy because it will have a complete story. To make up for it there’s a great little Gambit story in the back that piqued my interest in Carey’s plans for him. Closing aside: I really like, as in this comic, when people draw Cyclops as slim. I mean, that’s his nickname, that’s how he should be drawn.— Miles Baker
Miles’ rating: 4 out of 5
Crossover Corner
How important is this issue to Blackest Night? Enjoy our special “crossover relevance” rating scale: Essential, A Pleasant Addition, Take It or Leave It, Adds Nothing, or Completely Unrelated
Blackest Night #3
Geoff Johns (w), Ivan Reis (p), Oclair Albert with Joe Prado (i), DC Comics
This book really came together with the third issue. I’ve complained many times that the problem with both Secret Invasion and Final Crisis is that most of the middle section of those books seemed aimless and left me feeling like I didn’t know what the book was about. With this issue Johns comes out and explains the premise of the conflict quite clearly, stopping just short of telling us everything. When you combine that with a great fight scene, some nice character moments, and a scene of tragedy I say you’ve got a winner. — Owen Craig
Owen’s rating: 4 out of 5. Crossover ranking: Essential
“More than a regular author/robot — a gifted robot.” ah, awesome. Thanks Miles.
As someone who has also been called ‘Slim’ in the past, I agree with your Cyclops statements.
I don’t really care that people draw Cyclops as slim or not, simply for the fact that said nickname started when he joined the X-Men as a skinny kid and he’s grown up into a man since then. I have no problem thinking he put on some muscle mass as an adult, and hell, if you look back, WAY back at John Byrne’s art circa the Dark Phoenix Saga, which was what, in the 80’s? — He wasn’t being drawn so skinny then. It seems pointless to complain about how he’s not being drawn as skinny enough when he hasn’t consistently been drawn that way in almost thirty years.
What I would like though, is a little consistency between artists. Some draw him like a bean pole, others like a mini-Thor or something.
I’d always take Frank Quitely’s Cyclops over Jim Lee’s. It makes him different than the rest.
And I’d argue that John Byrne draws Cyke slimmer than, say, Colossus. But Byrne was awesome at making his characters looking different than one another, something most artists can’t seem to do today.
Yes, Byrne did draw Cyclops slimmer than Colossus, but he damn well should, since Colossus is a Russian farmboy brought up on a diet of communist protein shakes while he indulged in childhood hobbies such as plowing fields without a tractor. But he still wasn’t slim by any stretch of the imagination.
And yes you’re absolutely right, Byrne’s Nightcrawler was different in body type than his Cyclops, who was different from Wolverine, who was different from etc etc. Byrne was good at that and I too wish more artists abandoned the artistic method of drawing two different body types (bodybuilder with unfeasibly large biceps and supermodel with unfeasibly large hooters) and then just switching costumes and heads onto them to indicate different characters.
And you know, since I’m here and procrastinating, I want to mention how Fraction’s Iron Man story is swiftly losing steam with me. I liked it when it was Tony on the run from the entire world, using his wits and technology to stay one step ahead of his pursuers, but now that his intellect is approaching the level of a child (who’s still somehow smart enough to program computers and operate suits of armor despite no longer being able to spell), I’m failing to stay compelled, and the whole argument against just shooting himself in the head instead of doing this incredibly complicated journey to ‘delete’ his brain is looking more and more contrived.
Okay sure, maybe there are parts of the brain that could be salvaged and mined for information in this tech-savvy comic-book universe; fine, I can dig it. So why not just stick your head into a vat of hydrochloric acid or jump into a volcano or something? And to be honest, I’ve forgotten what Tony is actually trying to accomplish in these last few issues, he just keeps puttering across the world while becoming more and more retarded but I have no idea why. If the reason is that he needs another part of some code to delete his brain, refer back to my “JUST JUMP INTO A VOLCANO ALREADY” argument.
I think all I’m saying is, I wish Fraction thought of a different MacGuffin to propel Tony all across the world with. But, I remain optimistic that the conclusion of this storyline will tie everything up nicely and be awesome. Expect one of my adorable rants later on if this does not come to pass.