Funny Pages

Hey folks. It's been a while between reviews. Had a bit of a tough time getting to my LCS. It's
amazing how much can accumulate when you don't go to the comic store in 3 weeks.

Age of Ultron 7

I have to say I am burnt out with crossovers. It's every few months and the change in status quo has been exhausting. Starting with 2005’s House of M, then Civil War, Secret Invasion, Siege, Fear Itself, Avengers vs. X-Men, and that's not including the X-Men crossovers, Hulk, Spider-Man, I could unfortunately keep going. With Age of Ultron Marvel is essentially rehashing the Age of Apocalypse story of by having a major character be murdered in the past, dramatically altering the present. Unlike Age of Apocalypse which took us to the this drastically different world very early in the story Age of Ultron took 3/4’s of the story just to get to the same point.

Brian Michael Bendis is taking too long to tell the story. While decompressed storytelling works in a title like Ultimate Spider-Man or All New X-Men, it doesn't in a mini-series. Even a mini-series that is ten issues long. Once again we drag on in the Savage Land just like in Bendis’ previous crossover Secret Invasion. This kills the momentum of the story. What should have taken half an issue to one at the most took 5. Now in issue 7 we are going to be rushing through what should have been the main focus of the book in just 3 issues.

There are two artists on this issue Brandon Peterson and Carlos Pacheco. Neither of whom seem to be putting forth much of an effort. They had a tough act to follow after Bryan Hitch’s go in the first half of the series (not that his work was flawless). With this book having been pushed back months Marvel lost Hitch on art duties Marvel used Pacheco to do the art that takes place in the past and Peterson for the present. That idea would work for artists who’s work blended well together but these artist’s styles don't jive and do not compliment.

Overall this series feels unnecessary. Marvel is only six months in to the Marvel Now status quo and they're already trying to mess with it. I personally don't want them to. There's supposed to be big changes at the end of this series. The introduction of former Spawn character Angela being brought into the Marvel U (it's a whole legal clusterfuck that ended with Neil Gaiman gaining rights to the character), and the rumored death of Wolverine (Marvel mandated a while back that they were going to kill a major character a year. It seems its the ol’ Canucklehead’s turn. Now this is comics we are talking about and everyone Marvel killed off had remarkable recoveries (Spider-Man is now a ghost haunting Doctor Octopus who is now inside Peter’s body. That sound was your brain melting. The Winter Soldier had faked his death. Human Torch was resurrected by Annihilius only to be killed and resurrected over and over again for the villains amusement.) so really take that last bit with a grain of salt.

Either way this book is a pale imitation of a series that came before it. It's poorly executed and not really needed.

3/10

Adventures of Superman 1

Perhaps the most controversial book of the year, not because of the content, but because of whom was supposed to be the writer of the first issue of this anthology book. Novelist Orson Scott Card was slated to write this premier issue. Card who is known primarily for the Ender’s Game series, the writer is also known for his extreme stance on homosexuality and gay marriage. Due to Superman fan backlash (I myself having signed a petition) Card was fired from the book. Writer Jeff Parker and artist Chris Samnee’s issue was bumped from issue two to one. That issue was fantastic. The creative team delivered a simple and straight forward fun Superman story.

Parker's writing is fun and can almost be considered all-ages (the bad guy being a former meth addict maybe not so child friendly). You get a nice one and done of a Lex Luthor experiment gone amok.
Samnee is a hell of a work horse. He's delivering Daredevil every month, as well as having recently completed a Rocketeer mini, and now this. His art is fantastic. His Superman looks classic and familiar.

The first issue of Adventures of Superman delivers a Superman that is missing in the New 52. Not only is he in the classic strongman suit but Superman is acting how Superman should act. The New  52 is hellbent on giving us a different Superman when they should be giving us exactly this. A Superman that everyone can enjoy.

7/10


Thor God of Thunder 8

God Damn (pardon the pun), I love this book. I had thought J. Michael Strazynski’s run on Thor was my favorite on Thor, but Jason Aaron came along and kicked Strazynski square in the Norn Stones. This books is like an 80’a metal band, a Frank Frazetta picture, and Star Wars had a humpimg pile and turned it up to 11. Gone is the stoic Stan Lee Thor, this Thor is a hard drinkin’, bar fightin’, wench plowin’ God of Thunder!

Continuing Aaron’s Godbomb story we find three different  Thor's from past, present, and future coming together to fight Gor the God Butcherer. We get a glimpse of Thor’s future with the introduction of his grand-daughters in a fight to destroy a bomb that will kill every God in the Universe.

Esad Ribic and Ive Svorcina have an amazing chemistry as penciller and colourist respectively. Esad occasionally has some awkward faces but he still delivers art that puts a lot of other artists to shame. He captures the truly epic scope of Aaron’s script. I couldn't imagine another artist doing this book.
Aaron and Ribic are delivering a new kick ass version of Thor that seems doesn't detract from what came before and makes me constantly excited for this book to come out.

9/10

Batman 20

I love Batman. In theory. He's one of the characters that epitomize mainstream comics. Instantly recognizable by non-comic readers. Some of the best comics of all time have been Batman comics. The Dark Knight Returns. Arkham Asylum. Year One. He's iconic. And old. 70+. It's with that age it gets hard to write Batman. Sure you've got those great stories, but you’ve also got a tonne of dreck. And for that reason I think I've had a hard time getting into Batman. Don't get me wrong. I'm a continuity nerd. I grew up on X-Men and there's continuity there that would make your eyes bleed. But there are so many Batman stories, if you're a new reader, where the bloody hell do you begin? Take for example Batman in Dc’s New 52 universe. Batman in this new mythos has only been active for 5 years. He in that time has had 4 Robin’s. Nearly one a year. He still died and came back after fighting Darkseid. He has still had a son (who’s backstory has been changed so that he was a test tube baby who’s growth was artificially accelerated) and that son has recently died. That being said the only beacon of light in the dark Gotham underbelly seems to come with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman. The book has been telling some great decompressed stories about the Dark Knight that while they take place in the New 52 the can exist purely on their own of that continuity. Starting with Court of Owl, and continuing on with the recent Death of the Family. Issues 19 and 20 took a bit of a breather from the long form 6-10 issue arcs and instead focused on a 2 issue story about the villain Clayface.

Greg Capullo many will recognize for his years and years as penciller on Image’s Spawn. Capullo’s art has taken quantum leaps since his time on Todd McFarlane’s creation. He's done all but two issues of the series and each issue has been fantastic. Issue 20 keeps with the level of excellence he has set for himself. Inker Danny Miki came on last issue, taking over for Jonathan Glapion. Miki’s inks tend to be thinner and scratchier than the thicker more fluid line of Glapion. That's not to say Miki is bad, I just find Glapion a better fit with Capullo.

Scott Snyder writes a smart Batman who always has every angle figured out, down to a special mask that has Bruce Wayne DNA (a little too convenient cop out, but still believable when it comes to Batman being Batman). What Snyder best of all is humanize the man behind the cowl. Delivering one of the most poignant moments since the death of Damian.

As cliché as it sounds if you read only one Bat book, it should be Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman.

8/10

~ Nick Ardill

Funny Pages

Hey gang. It's gonna be a little mix of last weeks books and this weeks books for this round of reviews.

Guardians of the Galaxy 1

Okay so this is the first issue. For real this time. Seriously. Ignore the 0.1 issue that came out last month. Well don't ignore it, but don't think of that as the first issue. This is the first issue. Brian Michael Bendis and Steve McNiven bring us the real first issue of Guardians of the Galaxy an it's kind of just meh.
Star-lord Peter Quill is back from the Cancerverse. How? Don't know. They really don't say. Other than a quick mention in the first few pages that Quill fought Thanos, the Annihilation mini isn't really touched upon. Now Star-lord is on a mission to protect earth from his father and a coalition of alien races that have declared that earth is off limits and on its own. A move that apparently puts earth in prime position to be invaded. Star-lord gathers up the old gang, consisting of Gammora, Drax, Groot, and my personal fave Rocket Raccoon. Oh Iron Man is there too. Why? Cross polination would be my best guess. Together they’re going to keep earth safe from the dangers of Aliens like the Badoon, or Thanos, or any other number of Jim Starlin era space based baddie. It's an interesting idea and I'm curious to see here Bendis takes it, but it doesn't strike the same resonance as the last volume of Guardian. Gone is the slightly wacky feel to the book, such as Cosmo the telepathic Russian space dog. Also gone is Star-lord’s kick ass costume. Replaced by a rather simple costume that doesn't have the same umph as the prior masked almost WWI German suit.
Bendis-speak is in full swing here. It tends to stick out like a sore thumb amongst this cast. In all honestly I feel that Bendis isn't suited for this type of story. He's a ground level writer. He can’t seem to make the big concept work in most cases.  Even when he was on Avengers his best stories tended to be a little more down to earth.
Steve McNiven’s art is passable. He's not delivering his worst like in the mini-series Nemesis he did with Mark Millar, but he isn't delivering his A game art like Civil War (coincidentally also with Mark Millar).
Marvel is pushing their cosmic titles in a big way. With a Guardians of the Galaxy movie coming out next year I see why they're pushing a more mainstream version of the book. That would be all right for the casual reader. But for those who have been with Guardians of the Galaxy or the characters involved for a while, it does fall a little short.

6/10

East of West 1

Is it a western? Is it science fiction? Is it a story about the apocalypse? Yes. Yes it is. This is an alternate history tale with cowboys, indians, chairman Mao, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta bring their genre bending tale of the Horseman Death as he cuts a bloody path across an America unlike we’ve ever seen.
With this issue Hickman is really laying out the world which the story takes place. But in typical Hickman fashion he isn't exactly laying all his cards on the table. The story opens with three of the four horsemen waking as children, short their fellow rider Death. The story then skips to some exposition about a very different United States and a very different civil war. Jump again to the missing Death in a very different form as his brethren. A cowboy clad all in white aiming to kill the president of the United States.
Nick Dragotta shows a very different side of his art compared to his most recent FF work. Jumping from epic vistas and landscapes, to very brutal but intimate moment of the white rider. His work seems to be a lot more polished here. Not that his FF run was bad in anyway but the art seems to be a little tighter than previously.
Hickman’s work tends to be head trippy and not for a casual reader. Pax Romana, Red Mass for Mars, even his Fantastic Four run is an investment in time but always works out and is worth the read.

8/10


All New X-Men 10

When All New X-Men was announced I (along with a lot of other X-fans) had some concerns. It had some major strikes against it. Brian Michael Bendis’s Avengers  had become somewhat stale. He had done too many Avengers titles for too long, and later issues had really shown that the joy was gone. I didn't really want to see that brought to an X book. The title was spinning out of the somewhat mediocre Avengers vs. X-Men. I was also nervous this new X-Men book was going to affect Jason Aaron’s fantastic Wolverine and the X-Men. But what worried me the most about All New X-Men was the overall premise. Modern day Beast goes back in time and brings the original teenage X-Men back to the future (and yes there have been several references to the movie over the series). But Bendis surprised me. He surprised the hell out of me.
He took what could have been an awful mess of a book and made it work. As I stated earlier with Guardians of the Galaxy, Bendis works on a street level with his characters. He doesn't do well with the big concept stories. But he nailed it in All New X-Men.
This issue focuses on Mystique, Sabertooth, and the newly freed from prison Lady Mastermind robbing a bank truck. Bendis is building to a major showdown between Mystique’s crew and the original 5 heroes. And when it goes down it'll be good. Meanwhile over at The Jean Grey School modern Cyclops shows up to try to recruit from Wolverine’s school. The exchange between sides does get a little Bendis-y dialogue wise but doesn't get too hampered. We get an interesting exchange between young and old Cyclops. And we are left with a cliffhanger that has left me curious in a way that I haven't felt about a next issue in a long while.
Now Stuart Immonen. Oh my god on a scooter Stuart Immonen. This man is one of the best artists working in the industry. His art in this issue is phenomenal. He had a short break with David Marquez capably filling in. But man is it good to see him back in these pages.
I absolutely love Wolverine and the X-Men and didn't want All New X-Men to come along and futz Wolverine’s title up. Thankfully both titles work well off each other. Toss in Bendis’ sister book Uncanny X-Men and the X Universe is in the best shape it's been in years.

8/10

Abe Sapien Dark and Terrible 1

For an Abe Sapien book there is surprisingly little Abe Sapien in this book. This book goes a long way to introduce the reader to where we are in the Hellboy/BPRD Universe. Recapping the problems plaguing the Earth. What's happened to Abe to bring us to this point. This may be an attempt to draw in a new reader but with a lot of BPRD books or various titles within the  Hellboy universe but they may end up feeling like their drowning in information. There's a lot to know with these comics. They are all tied to each other. It can be argued that Hellboy continuity is as vast and extensive as say the Star Wars universe.
Abe Sapien is somewhat of a fan favorite but unfortunately I'm not one of them. I've never liked him as much as I have the ironically down to earth Hellboy, or the impressionable Roger the Homunculus, or even the ghostly Johann Krauss. This first issue doesn't do much to change that. Even in recent months where Abe has changed and evolved and there is a mystery as to why, I find myself not all that concerned.
The writers Mike Mignola, and Scott Allie, as well as artist Simon Fiumara do a capable job. The book isn't bad. It's just nothing really remarkable. And where the Hellboy universe is right now they need to do more than just kind of coast. This being the first issue in a new ongoing they are obviously going to be moving to something big but to grab you and keep you they need to make more of an impact coming out of the gate.

6/10

~ Nick