A super small week of new comics and pretty much only a handful of Marvel Comics this week. After last weeks bombing run its a nice breather for this week.
Incoming! #1
Marvel Comics Writers Various, Artist Various, Colorist Various, Letterer Travis Lanham
Wow how does it take 84 pages to tell a simple murder mystery and yet Marvel has figured out a way to pull it off and charge a whopping ten bucks for it. In a story that you could have simply told in 16 to 20 pages is dragged out to a travel guide around the Marvel Universe so that nearly every character can get squeezed in for a cameo. Basically this is a Free Comic Book day story that is a over bloated preview that doesn’t really give you any reason to by the upcoming 16 (yes 16) tie in books that are to come because there is no real set up beyond getting readers to buy more Marvel Comics. There are 13 writers and 16 artist that make up this book and while I will give the creative teams some props for making them all flow together well, it doesn’t make up for the fact that what little story is here is dragged out to the point of not caring anymore by the time you get to the end of it. The artwork is nice and is one of the few things that is a plus for the book but is not enough to justify the poor story and the exorbitant cover price. The other issue is that for a new reader you will be totally lost because of all of the current continuity that is weaved into the story so that didn’t help this one out at all.
Is this comic worth you’re time and money? I will say that the talent involved did there best with the boat anchor of a bad idea dragging them down with the boat. This is simply another in a long line of “event” comics that is simply designed to separate money from you’re wallet. While this is not the worst comic book that I have ever read but in the end it really doesn’t have much of a point beyond getting you to buy more Marvel Comics and that just shows how desperate they have become. AVOID THIS COMIC!
The Kill Lock #1
IDW Writer and Artist Livio Ramondelli, Letterer Tom B. King
This is an interesting little comic that uses a chain gang story trope and gives it a nice new spin. Ramondelli story gets off to a good start in this first issue that doesn’t get too dragged down with exposition in this first issue and he moves the story along nicely here. At first you are not quite sure what is going on but by the end of this first issue you figure out what and why they are on this planet and now they have to figure out how to fix their dilemma. The big win for this comic is Ramondelli’s gorgeous artwork that does a nice job of capturing both the big scenes and the smaller dramatic ones very nicely here. He also does a nice job on the coloring on this book that gives the book great mood and adds greatly to the look and feel of the story.
Is this comic worth you’re time and money? This comic wont necessarily blow you away but it will impress you with its charm. What I liked about this comic is that Ramondelli doesn’t overplay the story and he simply tells the story well here. The other is that he gives you a good reason to come back for the second issue. This is one of those comics that doesn’t try to be more than it is and just tells a good story well and is worth checking out.
Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #1
Marvel Comics Writer Zeb Wells, Artist Will Robson, Colorist Erick Arciniega, Letterer Joe Caramagna
Now that Spider-Ham is a household name thanks to the Spider-Verse animated film, Marvel has finally caught on to the fact that everyone loved him but the question is this is going to get new readers into comics and I don’t know if it will. Wells does capture the spirit of the original comic but it was made as a kids comic and it works on that level well but for adults, I don’t know if they are going to be impressed with it. Well wisely keeps the story simple and on that level its a fun read but the corny jokes do tend to run a bit thin by the time you get to the end of the issue so that is not going to impress older readers. At first I was a bit taken back by Robson’s artwork that was a lot more detailed than I had anticipated because the issue starts with artwork from the original run and its quite different indeed. The reason that Robson’s artwork is a perfect fit is the twist at the end of the issue and you will understand why he was a great choice for the comic.
Is this comic worth you’re time and money? If you are looking for a comic for younger readers then I would say that this is a perfect fit but I would say that for older readers this is not going to impress as much. Wells and Robson do a nice job on the comic but I feel that the focus is possibly too narrow and might have worked better if it was a bit more all ages instead of aiming at the younger crowd. It’s still a fun little book and works well for what it is.
Dr. Strange #1
Marvel Comics Writer Mark Waid, Artist Kev Walker, Colorist Java Tartaglia, Letterer Cory Petit
This is one of those comics that was a decent read but doesn’t leave an overly huge impression after you have read it. Waid is a solid writer and the story here does have some fresh ideas but I think that the bigger issue is that the character has always struggled with his own title and that is where this one falls into. I will give the story does try and do something different by having him be able to perform surgeries again but while that is a decent idea, it doesn’t really translate into something that ends up being very exciting for too long. The bigger issue is that he works best when its a story based in magic and other dimensions but here we end up with him doing basic superhero stuff and it ends up being underwhelming and then having the villain being The Wrecker is pretty anticlimactic and nearly laughable. The artwork by Walker isn interesting in that it has a bit of a cartoony style to it but that is a bit of an odd choice. It’s not to say that its bad but there are some times where it borders on comical that is a little puzzling.
Is this comic worth you’re time and money? There are some good ideas here but overall there is nothing special about this new series that is going to impress that much. It’s not bad and a lot of readers might like it but there is just not enough here to justify it for the long term. SKIP IT!
Joker: Killer Smile #2
DC Black Label Writer Jeff Lemire, Artist Andrea Sorrentino, Colorist Jordi Bellaire, Letterer Steve Wands
I was very impressed with the first issue of this title but this second issue has one of the best twist in a story that I have seen in quite a while. Lemire plays this story pretty straight and that is why the twist works so well in that all of the elements are there for you to discover but you get so wrapped up in the story that you don’t notice at first all of the subtle detail that he is laying the ground work for in the story. One of the best assets of the story is that how it slowly unfolds and washes over you so that you are so deep into it that the twist is not shocking but makes you want to go back and re-read to see all of the clues that were right in front of you the whole time. Sorrentino artwork is really impressive here because there is so much drama that he has to deliver the emotions on a subtle level because there are no big action scenes but its all in the emotions of the characters. There is so much that he puts into the details that drives you deeper into the story that shows what a great talent that he is as an artist.
Is this comic worth you’re time and money. I have to admit that there have simply been too many Joker comics lately that its hard to stand out from the crowd but Lemire and Sorrentino have taken a different approach to this story that is making it really stand out from the others. They are telling a much smaller story and that is why this is working so well. While its title is the Joker the story is really about Ben Arnell’s decent into madness and not the normal going crazy type. This is a very impressive comic and a truly must read! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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