Comic Book Reviews for 11/7/12
♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 0 comments
This week marks the debut of two of Marvel's biggest relaunches: Iron Man and Deadpool. One delivers the goods and one, well, isn't as successful. This week also marks the conclusion of the beloved Avengers Academy and the continuation of the epic Uncanny X-Force story arc, Final Execution.
At DC, the penultimate chapter of Vertigo's Sweet Tooth breaks hearts while new Green Lantern Simon Baz continues to impress and the epic Rotworld storyline continues throughout Animal Man and Swamp Thing.
Finally, Valiant Comics debuts its latest resounding success in Shadowman. Yes, that character from the N64 game.
DC COMICS
"Each issue of Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics has been a hit or miss for me, so I’m glad to report that this issue hits. Hard. Superman answers a distress call from an international terraforming team on Mars -- complete with scientists, a soldier, and a family with a child -- and must combat a threat out of his league. By playing to the character’s strength not only as someone who can physically endure more than an ordinary person, but as someone who can inspire people to be as super as he can be, Morrison delivers his purest Superman story yet." -Joshua
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Final Score:
9.0
"Stories like Marvel Zombies and Blackest Night sold so well because us fans just can’t get enough of watching zombified versions of comic book characters get hacked to pieces. If that’s your sort of thing then Rotworld’s apocalyptic landscape of a world all but succumbed to the Rot eagerly awaits your $2.99. Hawk and Dove, Deathstroke, Grifter -- they’re all here and more disgusting than ever. The best part? The story supporting all this gore totally rocks." -Joshua
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Final Score:
8.7
"In hindsight, a Before Watchmen mini-series devoted to Moloch the Mystic seems like a logical choice. Alan Moore never devoted more attention than necessary to the retired supervillain in his story. But while the potential is there for J. Michael Straczynski to weave a compelling yarn as he explores Moloch's formative years, the newest addition to the Before Watchmen crop never feels like anything more than filler." -Jesse
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Final Score:
5.8
"Detective Comics fills a niche right now as a Batman book that allows itself to be more free and more fun than the others. The tone of the series under new writer John Layman is not unlike Batman: The Animated Series, with its copious assortment of iconic Bat villains and a tone that isn't too dark or too comedic. It isn't ambitious or ground-breaking, but it achieves what it sets out to accomplish." -Jesse
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Final Score:
7.5
"Having just completed his first arc on Dial H, China Mieville offers readers a bit of a breather with issue #6. This standalone story strikes a distinctly more humorous tone than those before it, despite the fact that both Nelson and Roxie are dealing with the aftermath of a big battle and two major deaths. The concept is simple enough. While Nelson is forced to wait out his transformation into the racially insensitive Chief Mighty Arrow, Roxie shows off her Refusenik Diary -- a scrapbook highlighting all the bizarre and extremely un-PC transformations her dial has granted her over the years. We don't actually see Doctor Cloaca or the Golliwog in the flesh, but as with so many of Mieville's wacky creations, the name is usually enough to get the point across." -Jesse
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Final Score:
9.2
"The New 52 sure has done a number on the Golden Age superheroes. I have enjoyed bits of Earth 2 since its launch, but it has done little to truly reinvigorate these characters. And no, messing around with their costumes, origins, and sexuality does not count. Being the first generation of heroes who ushered in the heroes of today made characters like Alan Scott and Jay Garrick a special, integral part of the old DCU. In the New 52, they have zero bearing on the other 51 titles, leaving the success of their book to the quality of its storytelling, which has been okay at best." -Joshua
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Final Score:
6.3
"Denise Mina (Hellblazer, A Sickness in the Family) is right at home here, diving head first into the Swedish crime series without any reservations of losing the reader along the way. There are names tossed our way fast and furious with jarring scene transitions every few pages, but if you’re willing to go along for the ride and put the pieces together yourself, then Dragon Tattoo Book 1 is actually a pretty rewarding experience. The onslaught of information and names is enough to make your head spin, particularly when artists Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti don’t do much to differentiate the characters in physical appearance. However, Mina does a great job of letting the reader slowly construct the pieces of the book’s many mysteries alongside protagonists Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander." -Joey
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Final Score:
7.0
"I was amazed by the engrossing political thriller involving Baz and his family in Green Lantern #13, but with the Justice League showing up in this month’s issue the title steers back towards more standard superhero fare. But that’s not a bad thing. Geoff Johns often gets credit for being a writer that develops long form, character-based stories, yet the arrival of the League lets him show everyone that he’s also one of the funniest writers in the business. Just try and get past page seven without laughing your ring off." -Joshua
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Final Score:
9.2
"The loose ties between Demon Knights and Stormwatch have grown much more apparent with this current arc as Etrigan the Demon has awoken and made Stormwatch the target of his wrath. I don't know if it speaks poorly of the series as a whole to say that Etrigan's characterization is currently my favorite element. Peter Milligan writes him as supremely arrogant but also somewhat justified in feeling bitter about being imprisoned for centuries and betrayed by his old team. The fact that Etrigan's tendency to rhyme is exploited for comedy and not overplayed is also a welcome change of pace." -Jesse
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Final Score:
6.2
"There’s something about the Hero’s Journey that gets me going. I don’t know if it’s the repetition of the thousands of narratives that I’ve experienced or whether it’s programmed into my DNA somehow, but watching a hero put on his armor and head into adventure puts me in a good mood. In Swamp Thing #14, writer Scott Snyder expertly uses the Hero’s Journey model to push his main character out of his comfort zone and into danger in the name of love and the greater good. If you’re anything like me, you’ll finish this book craving more." -Poet
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Final Score:
9.0
"If you’re looking for all the feels, they are in Sweet Tooth #39. The penultimate issue of the series and the conclusion of Wild Game, Jeff Lemire crafts a heartbreaking finale to Gus and Jepperd’s journey. I’ll avoid direct spoilers, but suffice it to say that this is the issue fans of the series have been simultaneously anticipating and fearing, and I can confirm that all of your fears/wishes come true." -Joey
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Final Score:
9.6
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The Comics Run: November 5, 2012
♦ by Unknown Wednesday, 7 November 2012 Monday, 5 November 2012 0 comments
Before you freak out on me in the comments, yes, I realize I left out some of this week's biggest releases -- Iron Man, Deadpool, Action Comics, Before Watchmen: Moloch, Green Lantern... but hey, these books I listed are just that exciting.
If you want a comprehensive list of everything that’s coming out this week and not just my own picks for what’s hot, check out Diamond’s shipping list.
We’re drawing ever closer to the conclusion of the remarkable Vertigo series known as Sweet Tooth, as writer/artist Jeff Lemire delivers the series’ penultimate chapter. It’s been a terrific (if anxiety-inducing and tear-sprouting) ride that could ultimately end in one of two ways: optimistically or… not.
While Lemire has teased that Sweet Tooth won’t end as depressingly as we might expect, it doesn’t change the fact that we’ll soon be leaving the world of Gus the boy with antlers behind for good. Prepare to savor this second-to-last installment, for soon, we shall be Sweet Tooth-less.
I admit that I wasn’t the biggest proponent of Avengers vs. X-Men. In fact, I more or less had the same problems with it that I do with most Marvel events: the implications of the story are far more engaging than the story itself. Luckily, it’s for that same reason that I’m enjoying AvX: Consequences as much as I am.
So far, Consequences has done a great job of positioning Cyclops’ new role in the X-Men world in a way that isn’t so much villainous as it is just really intriguing. Kieron Gillen has painted Scott Summers in a three dimensional light that was sorely missing in AvX proper, and with last issue’s reveal of his supporters, I’m ecstatic to see how this series changes the landscape of mutantdom in the Marvel Universe.
While I’ve been no slouch in promoting Mark Waid and Chris Samnee’s Daredevil series that prides itself on straight-up fun, Bendis’ classic run on the Man Without Fear is one of the greatest things I’ve ever shoved into my brain. End of Days feels like a Dark Knight Returns-esque thematic finale to the Bendis rendition of Matt Murdock; it’s unapologetically grim and remarkably unnerving.
With Daredevil apparently dead, the series currently rests on the shoulders of Ben Urich as he struggles to come to terms with Matt’s end while also investigating it. There’s a lot of mystery and intrigue to End of Days, but hopefully issue #2 will serve to shed a little bit more light on what exactly the future of this mini-series could hold.
I’ll be totally honest with you and say that until today, I had no freaking clue what Colder was actually about. I did know two things: Paul Tobin is writing it and the cover makes my skin crawl. As you might recall from last week, horror comics are one of my favorite things (behind cats and liquor), and so anytime something new comes along I weep with joy.
In any case, Colder tells the story about an ex-inmate of a madhouse whose body temperature is dropping rapidly. He’s also got this innate ability to enter another person’s madness and cure it, but can he even cure himself? You best believe I want to find out, so that’s why I’ll be snagging this book.
Shadowman is back, Jack. Even though Benjamin Bailey of the IGN Comics Review Crew already handed this issue an 8.9 score, I can’t wait to get my hands on this beast myself. Justin Jordan is one of the hottest new writers of the year thanks to the awesome Strange Talent of Luther Strode, and the art of Patrick Zircher should simply never be passed up for any reason.
With Shadowman, Valiant is adding a new type of book to its steadily growing catalog of eclectic superhero comics: supernatural horror. If you like voodoo, blood, New Orleans, and the paranormal, I’d recommend jumping on board this train.
Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He thinks knows the world needs more horror comic books.
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