Playing Catch-Up [Snippet Reviews]

Here are snippet reviews of a few books from the past two weeks. Time got away from me and I fell behind on reviews. I’ll get back at it with the books released today.

Batman Eternal #8. This issue started to bring the stories together in a much more cohesive way. Seeing more of all of the characters really helped this issue. I give it a 4/5.

Trees #1. This book is really interesting. While this first issue I think maybe introduces a few too many questions, I am still extremely intrigued by the idea overall and I want to keep reading. I give this book a 4/5.

Ms. Marvel #4. This title is easily one of my top five books being written currently from any company. The story so far is great and I love the incorporation of a Muslim-American family dynamic. It adds something really nice to the comic. I give this issue a 5/5.

Woods #2. I loved the first issue of this book, but this issue was much less interesting for me. I found the story repetitive and the plot lacking. I think the series overall is going in a very interesting direction, but this issue leaves me wanting, and not in an entirely positive way. I give this issue a 2.5/5.

Batman Eternal #9. This book continually fluctuates. This issue is right there in the middle. The story is good, though it is a little too straightforward in the way it gives us information. The art is also strong for the most part, but there are panels here and there that look rushed and much less thought out. Overall, the story remains intriguing, but the book overall is still juggling too many stories I think. I give this issue a 3/5.

Nailbiter #2. This book is one thing - weird. But even so, it is expertly written and drawn. The layout of the panels and the things Mike Henderson chooses to focus on really makes the book even more creepy. Really fun, creepy, and gruesome read thus far. Joshua Williamson’s writing is really quite good as well. I give this book a 4.5/5.

Cyclops #2. This issue was much stronger than the first in my opinion. The art was great and the story was extremely fun. This swashbuckling style of space pirates set up in this issue is really fun and interesting. Rucka also does a nice job of including just enough little things so that we have questions that push into the next issue, but he doesn’t overdo that. Nice balance. I give this issue a 4/5.

I plan on posting a few more quick snippet reviews like this tomorrow. Then I’ll get back on a more normal schedule.

Sinestro #2 (REVIEW)

I was really excited to get into this series this month because of the sheer magic that is Cullen Bunn’s writing on Magneto’s solo series for Marvel. Perhaps my background to Cullen’s writing there was not a great thing for me to have. It has definitely dictated my experience of this book more than it should. Just the same, I do think that Bunn’s approach to Sinestro is extremely intriguing. Bunn seems to be able to write these villain solo titles unlike anyone else. The art is also very impressive. There were a few panels that threw me for a loop, but it the following panels cleared up any confusions.

I really love the approach to this book. That is, I think framing this book in terms of legends and stories, which Sinestro hopes his life becomes, allows for an approach to this villain that allows for some relatablity with the reader. Sinestro’s consistent interest in stories and legends points to the way in which he views his own life and his own importance. I’m interested to see where some things in this story goes: the motif of stories and legends, the relationship between Sinestro and his daughter, and the “church of anti-emotion” story. There is a lot that Bunn has in play here, and he is doing a nice job so far of balancing it all and telling the story.

I give this book 4.5/5.

the-league-of-assassins:

All of the corps - Matthew Waite 

http://waitedesigns.deviantart.com/

These are pretty sweet.

Batman Eternal #7 (REVIEW)

I’m actually really glad that we’re seeing more of the crime boss battles in this book. Eternal #4, 5, and 6 were all really jumpy, but this seems to be continuing on that crime war story a little more. I do wish we were getting something about Gordon here, but I also understand some of the reasons why it is being withheld at the moment. There are a lot of threads to this story in the seven issues, and I’m not sure that they’re being held together very well. We have the crime war, the story with Gordon, Vicki Vale’s reporting, and the sick children Red Robin is trying to take care of. These are all starting to strain on the title as a whole I think. Thus, it makes each issue seem more taxing when we’re not hearing about each of those issues. At the same moment, it seems that if you brought up all of those stories in one issue it would be too much. I guess, all in all, this issue was decent as a stand alone, but given the series as a whole, it is lacking and was doomed to have flaws because of the multiple stories set up thus far. I feel like all of these stories have potential, but the overlap is too much for the audience.

I give this book a 3/5, keeping in mind that most of my problems stem from the entire series.

Magneto #4 (REVIEW)

I don’t even really know what to say about this book. It continually exceeds my wildest expectations. Cullen Bunn’s writing is so phenomenal. His interior monologue of Magneto brings us face to face with the harsh reality of Magneto’s history. We are forced to confront the same pain as Magneto. Thus, Bunn, without explicitly stating it, creates tension in the reader as he or she faces the actions of Magneto in the face of the scars of his past. Bunn is almost daring us to disagree with Magneto’s actions, and much of the time I’m not sure that I want to do so. This issue I think has some of the most quotable lines and really starts to help us understand the bigger picture for Magneto at this moment. The art, this time by Javier Fernandez, is still superb, but the real character and feeling of this book comes from the talent of Jordie Bellaire as Color Artist. Bellaire absolutely sets the tone for the book, providing a path that Bunn’s writing can fallow and push further. This is still easily my favorite title being printed right now. Not much else comes close.

I give this book a 5/5.

Shutter #2 and Captain Marvel #3 (REVIEWS)

I’m still working on getting caught up on quite a few series, but in a rush to prep for new comic book day tomorrow here are two quick reviews.

Shutter #2, and #1 for that matter since I read both this week, is a super fun book. The art alone is worth the buy. The world of this books is packed with details. The art and colors are really breathtaking. The story is good, but I’m still really confused about the world overall. I wish there were more explanation. Where are we? Earth. But when? Why are so many different species and aliens around? We just need more set up for the world we’re in, more grounding, and we’re not really getting that either in this or the second issue. The story is still fun, the dialogue is great, and I really enjoyed the book overall.

I’d give this book a 4/5.

Captain Marvel #3, like the rest of this series, is so fun. I am loving the art and DeConnick’s writing is superb. The characters really propel this book forward, which I think is why I like it so much. It’s not all about plot plot plot, but we get those moments with Marvel and her cat or Marvel talking with Star-Lord about the planet. In this issue, I particularly enjoyed the encounter between Marvel and the leader of Tic’s world. The interaction there started to shed light on this complex problem that Carol is facing here, and it did so through character interaction rather than simply letting the plot propel the story. I enjoyed this decision. This book is a must read/buy. Get on it.

I give this book a 5/5, obviously.

Now get excited; tomorrow is new comic book day!

Superman: DOOMED (Review)

This review will cover the first three installments of Superman: DOOMED, which appear in Superman: DOOMED #1, Action Comics #31, and Superman Wonder Woman #8.

Superman Doomed #1 was a great start to this crossover. It’s a nice revisioning of the Superman Doomsday rivalry. The art is great and the story is extremely fun. My biggest complaint with this book is that, in the new 52, Doomsday himself is painted as something so much more difficult to fight, having grown into his powers. However, Superman’s fight with him, while amazingly choreographed and drawn on the page, starts and ends rather quickly. it seems shockingly convenient for the month long crossover event to have Doomsday be easily defeated. Perhaps they will return to this, but it seems a bit too convenient for me.

Action Comics #31 starts the really great part of the stories here. Superman’s worries about saving the human race that arose in the face of Doomsday in Superman: Doomed #1 become even more pronounced in this issue. Greg Pak does a great job of really pushing the man of steel to think about his identity in the face of his role as a protector of humanity. He is not human, and that is what sets him apart. All of this comes to a fore as he is infected.

Finally, Superman Wonder Woman #8 really highlights Wonder Woman and the amount that she cares for Superman. This story follows her as she tries to relocate Superman, and it shows the problems in their relationship, even if those problems aren’t in the open yet. Some of the dialogue in this issue is somewhat stilted and cheesy, especially when Superman is Doomsday.

I give Superman:Doomed #1 a 4/5.
I give Action Comics #31 a 4/5.
I give Superman Wonder Woman #8 a 3.5/5.

I give the event overall thus far a 4/5.